Echo Dawn isn't going to knock your socks off, but if you're looking for an original JRPG-style game that offers the full package, it's a decent enough choice.

If you are looking for a Pokemon clone for your mobile device, this is as good as it gets. Trust me, I have tried 'em all. Just be ready for an unnecessarily long grind ahead of you if you want to catch... *clears throat* tame 'em all without forking over a bit more money in the process. Don't forget to check out other people's impressions of Nexomon in our forums, where the developers have been quite active and receptive to feedback, and leave impressions of your own.

The best way to enjoy Synesthetic is to think of it as less of a game and more of a really cool way to enjoy your music.

Super Cyclone has some fun ideas, such as the star-gates and alien nests, which ensure the gameplay is more interesting than simply shooting enemies endlessly.

I've been having a lot of fun with Spinzizzle, largely in part because it's often entirely possible to clear the entire game board at once, and figuring out how to do that is a really good time if you're a puzzle game perfectionist.

We’re not exactly starving for choice when it comes to Metroidvania-style games on Steam, and nothing Noreya: The Gold Project does should push it to the front of your wish list. Indeed, there are a lot of obvious flaws here that pull the adventure down. At the same time, it hits the basics well and there are a few really interesting elements that, when combined with the strong atmosphere, might just hook you.

It's not an RPG. There's no dungeon exploring. You go from A to B by moving left or right based on what you want to pick up next, and that's all. Here's the exact description that Invictus put on the App Store: "This ultimate pixel art RPG game brings you solid and pure dungeon crawling experience." No it doesn't, Invictus. It does not.

It would certainly have been nice to get some multiplayer, even just on a local level, but even without it, Riptide GP is an entertaining title that looks fantastic on new devices.

Motley Blocks is a fun little matching game. It lets you create, destroy, and rebuild, all with a tap or a swipe of your finger. It's also intensely competitive, if you're into that sort of thing.

There is most certainly an audience for Rebus. After all, if there are people who can complete the New York Times' Saturday crossword in less than six minutes, then surely there are people who can look at the number 6135 and work out that the answer is "face". If you're one of those people then go ahead, download and enjoy. But for the rest of us, you'd better be ready to spend some cash on clues.

While not for everyone, RoboSockets is definitely one of the more interesting falling block games that I've seen in a while. Its strong mix of innovative gameplay and robot presentation really work for the genre… a genre that is typically synonymous with being quite drab.

Empire of Angels 4 is a decent enough game, if not terribly exciting.

True, it's no RollerCoaster Tycoon, but it's still a highly competent coaster builder with a nice dose of puzzle objectives. Suffice to say, if you're a fan of making thrill rides, you should give it consideration.

A bit like grabbing a convenience store cheeseburger when you're craving a gourmet burger, Angel in Danger does everything you'd expect it to do, but not quite what you might hope it does. For platform fans craving something in 3D, though, that might be enough.

My only concern is I don't think that Endless Road's visuals do enough to carry the game to lofty heights. Sure, the game looks and sounds great, but the three-lane style of play and supplemental upgrades/power-ups feel pretty basic and somewhat mundane.

Centipede: Recharged is an interesting variation on the familiar game, and while it lacks some of the progression elements of Missile Command: Recharged, it makes up for it with extra modes and a more solid arcade feel. I do wish the standard gameplay mode used the lives system of the original, awarding extras for reaching certain score thresholds. Apart from that, the worst thing I can really say about this is that I don’t think it’s better or sufficiently different from the original, making it feel somewhat redundant if you have access to that game through whatever means.

With full controller support, Foxtrot would be an instant recommendation for platformer fans. It's simple to pick up, the level designs are interesting, and the visuals have a ton of charm despite their retro veneer. If you can deal with some added difficulty as a result of touch controls though, add this to your collection.

A great diversion. Retro Dreamer has brought in a lot of its brand of charm, with cute in-joke collectables to discover and tongue-in-cheek descriptions for every little thing. It may not be the best game for those looking to dig up a serious challenge, but it's also far from mindless.

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is not the best of the three KINGDOM HEARTS games releasing on Steam this week in terms of pure value, but it is still great for fans and worth playing if you’re going through the games one by one. It plays great out of the box on Steam Deck thankfully, but I don’t recommend buying this one on its own. I would recommend getting it through the combined bundle with all KINGDOM HEARTS releases right now.

Even through the moments of frustration, fans of early RPGs will find a lot to love in Guardian Saga. It's a solid homage to everything that made the NES and DOS eras influential and interesting.

As far as free-to-play RPGs go, Etherlords is well worth it for the curious.

The constant push for purchases more or less ruined the experience for me.

Sin or Win has its ups and downs. The OK core play, however, and the flat-out ingenuity on display helps makes the "downs" a little easier on the soul.

If you’re willing to take on the not inconsiderable task of playing through an action-RPG in Japanese, Ys II is a lot of fun. The music is excellent, and it’s surprisingly playable for a game of its time and place. That said, the language barrier is once again very real with this release, and that means that despite this being an enjoyable game and likely the only release of Ys II we’re likely to see on Switch, I can only give it a light recommendation.

Learning to move your ship accurately is a bit of a challenge, but in that "gotta try one more time" kind of way.

If you love Into the Breach, you’ll want to give this a look. It has a similar vibe, and even if it doesn’t hold up in the long term quite as well, you’ll still get plenty of fun out of it.

This game is not going to be for everyone, but strategy fans who are patient with its faults will find quite a bit to love here, and knowing this developer, we can expect it to improve greatly with time.

A worthy debut on the iOS app store, Reversion: The Escape is unlikely to be crowned 'Adventure Game of the Year' but it's certainly still worth escaping to.

Bounder's World is a worthy addition to the tilt-controlled action genre. There aren't any particularly innovative aspects to it, but the gameplay works and there's certainly enough content to keep you coming back. And besides, that anthropomorphic tennis ball is pretty damn cute.

RAD Boarding is incredibly well-made as a game, but everything around the game feels like it needed some tweaking and time in other people's hands to be changed and improved.

It's a well-built JRPG, if not a terribly exciting one, and certainly doesn't do anything poorly.

Roboto has all the makings of a classic platforming game. It's one of the most visually impressive games I've seen in some time, and the gameplay itself is well designed and a lot of fun. If the controls and performance issues can be ironed out sufficiently, then Roboto will fall into the "must have" category of iOS platformers.

If you like music or rhythm games, you're not exactly drowning in quality choices on the App Store, and Audio Ninja is enjoyable while it lasts.

I think fans of the genre will find a lot to like here. WayForward has brought its usual level of production values to the genre, and its experience in making 2D action games of all sorts shines through. I’d probably recommend Blazing Chrome or even Super Cyborg over this as far as Contra-inspired games go, but I don’t think we’re so drowning in good games of that sort that we should turn up our noses at this fine specimen.

There’s a lot of emotion in the game’s couple of hours, and I think its appeal entirely hinges on whether or not the situation and the struggles the characters face resonate with you. Personally, I couldn’t relate with a lot of it, but I could at least appreciate its sincerity. If nothing else, it’s a well-made window into a difficult time in the lives of two people.

Given a few tweaks, Army of Frogs could be well worth the price of admission. Until then, though, I'd caution you to only hop in if you've got someone local to play with. You'll find a well-designed game that's a lot of fun to play -- but the pond is awful lonely if you go it alone.

In the end, it's worth the few bucks to essentially trade up into the premium version.

The game itself gets in the way at times of enjoying the art, but otherwise, The Swords is a worthy experience.

Dungeon Drafters is a decent roguelite game with some enjoyable card mechanics and an above-average level of polish. For players who aren’t too concerned about gameplay balance, there’s a lot to like here. Unfortunately, a few design decisions feel like they’re at odds with the deck customization gimmick that runs at the core of the game and keep it from being all it probably could be. This wouldn’t be my first choice in the genre on the Switch by any means, but if you chew this kind of game up and spit it out then it will keep you happy for a little while.

If you’re a huge fan of the old Sprint games or their many clones, I think you’ll probably enjoy NeoSprint. It does what it needs to, and it’s rather faithful to the core principles of the games that came before it. It’s also filled to the brim with things to do, and if you love to play “Spot the Atari References" then you can look forward to finding a lot to point at. For those without any real attachment to the series or publisher, this is an approachable casual racing game that could probably use a touch more complexity in its mechanics.

Dragon Raiders isn't perfect, but it is a darn solid entry in the endless runner category, with plenty of levels to make it more than worth the $0.99 price.

Whether it's for a few hours on a rainy day or multiple days on end, if you like to spend hours clicking cookies and trying to amass a fortune, you'll have a blast with Amazing Loot Grind -- just don't expect a grand payoff at the end, as what you see is what you get.

Pendragon Rising is worth picking up if you're looking for a well-written story and don't mind sacrificing some of the usual customization found in Choice Of Games releases.

I wouldn't write Pollen Count off as nothing more than a clone. It makes great use of an established mechanic, and I'd have a hard time holding that against it.

Ultimately, The Cruel King and the Great Hero is still worth playing for those who are attracted to its cute storybook stylings. RPG fans will likely find less to be enthused with here, thanks to its plodding pace and somewhat banal battling. I can’t help but feel there may have been a better vehicle for this charming little fairy tale, but I’m nevertheless happy I got to experience it.

Funky Smugglers is a stylish game that's a lot of fun to play, and absolutely miserable to compete in. If that doesn't concern you, you'll be in great hands.

2K12 needs a bit more to hold my attention over significant stretches of time -- I'd love to see some sizzle from anywhere and especially from the action on the court. That said, I'm not sure the point here was to give me thrills; this is a simulation to the bone and all of its struts and constituent parts support its sharp, through pretty strict "action." If anything, this is a good start for a series.

Perhaps it could have explored those ideas more deeply or in a more satisfying manner, but even if doesn’t quite reach greatness, Gamedec is an adventure game worth checking out.

The quirky art style melds extremely well with the high-quality 3D environments, and the game ran consistently smoothly for me. Fleeced is worth every penny of its asking price.

Pac-Man Bounce is perfect for those of you who have submitted to the tethering nature of energy-based games. If you find yourself enjoying a few quick rounds here and there in-between breaks at work, you'll be right at home. For the rest of you, the aggressive free-to-play elements may be more trouble than they're worth.

Young Souls is a very thoughtfully-designed game with a lot of satisfying systems to engage with. Taken together with its attention to making the game feel like a proper adventure, it’s almost enough to carry it all the way through. But at least for me, it felt like the game dragged on a couple of hours longer than I would have preferred. There are also some performance issues plaguing this game, and it even crashed on me a few times. None of this was enough to put me off of Young Souls, but it certainly curbed some of my enthusiasm for it as a whole.

Mighty Goose may only keep your attention for an evening or two, but it’s a honking good time.

Fans of either of the aforementioned craft management games should find Fleet Defense to be a challenging (and enjoyably frustrating) twist on the formula. Fun isn't all about offroad racing, after all.

At the end of the day Drifty Dash knows what it is. It doesn't try to act like it's a simulation of any kind, nor is it going to provide you with pinpoint physics and even fair objectives.

ChickenBreak is a cute, funky little title that looks great and plays well, and has an appropriately frantic soundtrack to go with its fast-paced gameplay.

Personally, I found the puzzles more engaging than the story, but your mileage may vary. At the very least, I can say that I haven’t played a game exactly like this before. That could be a good or bad thing; here it’s the former.

Most of the multiplayer games I really enjoy are of the ponderous, asynchronous sort, so it's nice to have a completely frantic matching game to mix things up – even a frantic matching game with its hands deeply in my pocket.

I see Heavenstrike Rivals as a mobile game that just happens to have connections in console gaming.

Fortune Street Smart is a classic example of a title with great mechanics hampered by some of the other supporting elements.

In most respects, Gynoug is a rather plain horizontal shoot-em-up. The art design and music elevate it somewhat, but it’s hard to imagine a more meat-and-potatoes mechanical experience. For its part, Ratalaika Games has done a nice job of presenting the game with this offering. You’ve got all of the expected options, and a few more besides that. If you’re looking for a good way to play Gynoug/Wings of Wor, this will assuredly satisfy your needs. For those completely unfamiliar with the game, it’s a decent enough shooter, though I can’t say that it’s much more than that.

Patient players with swift reflexes and tenacity to burn will want to give this a look for sure, though.

It would be more satisfying if the various characters, means of transport, and weapons were unlocked along the way, rather than all provided from the start. Overall, a good game, but just for a couple of days or for the kids.

The game runs nicely enough on the Switch, but handheld players will naturally have to plant themselves near an online connection point to play with others. And you will want to play with others, because it turns what is in single-player a very rough time management game into a properly enjoyable roguelite action-RPG experience. This “best with friends" quality means that Tribes of Midgard isn’t going to be for everyone, but those with the right conditions to enjoy the game will find plenty to like.

At the very least, you should start with the original Trails of Cold Steel, something that isn’t possible on Switch right now. But when I think of all of the time and effort you’d have to put in to get to the ideal state to enjoy this game, all I can conclude is that it’s probably not worth it. If you’ve come this far, by all means: this is an ending, and you might as well experience it. But had I known back in the day how it all would turn out, I’m not sure I would have gotten into Cold Steel in the first place. I was really hoping for something better than “well, it’s fine". Well… it’s fine.

Snoticles is a good game. It's a fun physics puzzler that provides a mid-tier challenge. But there are so many similar games out there, and this one doesn't do much at all to set itself apart.

Some levels will have you at wits end trying to unravel (pun very much intended) the correct maze of ribbon needed to collect all the various colored circles.

Personally, having had a historical fondness to this sort of formula from early Playstation games, I actually enjoyed the gameplay setting and found the adventure sequences to be well done. That said, I can see how it would seem dated, and tap to shoot mechanic is almost never a positive.

The sheer volume of content is Dream Track Nation's main selling point.

If you haven't had enough of the LEGO games yet, LEGO The Lord of the Rings will satisfy you.

I think there are plenty of better choices in the genre on iOS, but if you've exhausted the usual suspects and are looking for something else decent, Secret Files is worth checking out, warts and all.

Mostly, it could do with more content.

Fortunately, the game is free, so you're able to try it out and see if those aspects are good for you, and if you like what you see, you can choose to keep playing the whole game for free, or toss a few bucks in to make it ad-free and closer to a premium experience.

In its current state, Art of Rally on iOS is sadly not a great port. This should have been the definitive portable version of a superb racer, but it is just in between the bad Switch version and the great Steam Deck version. Performance and visual issues aside, it doesn’t even have good touch controls. I got used to them, but I’d recommend this with a controller for now. Noodlecake is usually great, so this is a rare misstep from the team. I hope it does get fixed because Art of Rally is worth owning and playing at full price, but I can’t recommend on iOS without some caveats unfortunately despite the low asking price on mobile. Hopefully by the time the Android version and DLC release, it will be in a better state.

The art style is nice and minimalistic, but you will get tired of the music and the various voices telling you to ‘try harder’ every single respawn.

I think from a functional level, I'm not a huge fan of Potatoman Seeks the Troof. But at least it was an interesting and memorable experience, and one that has that unique Pixeljam look to it.

Mario Golf: Super Rush may eventually be a great game, but for now it has to settle for being a good one. The new modes help liven up the gameplay in a way that some players are sure to enjoy, and the Golf Adventure gives you something to do beyond the usual stuff. I can take or leave the new swing meter, but I can easily imagine opinions being all over the board on that point. Ultimately, however, I can’t ignore the relative lack of courses and online options available in this launch version of the game. You’ll have a good time going on tour here, but you could have an even better time by picking up the Nintendo 3DS game.

The Legend of Steel Empire is a decent enough way to play a cult classic shooter, even with a few rough points in the overall package. If you’re tired of having your head knocked around by the likes of Gradius or R-Type, you might find this to be the approachable shooter you’re looking for. I appreciate that they made some improvements in the presentation rather than just toss the original game out there, but it feels like there was a missed opportunity to do a little more here.

A faithful rendition of a Trials-style game, but it would have been nice to see a little more innovation in the environmental art or at least more of its own style instead of a nearly direct clone of Trials.

Not essential, but if you pick it up, it'll be perfectly fine.

Give It Up! is a few updates away from being a very solid game.

CitiRacing feels like a game perpetually on the edge of being great. This theme seems to permeate most aspects of the game, from the multiplayer to the tracks and beyond. As it is, I still had an enjoyable time with CitiRacing and would recommend it for racing fans simply because of the locales and core gameplay.

There's a lot of great ideas here, and a solid game at its core, but the execution could have been a lot better.

Unfortunately, Epic Eric is a little on the brief side. The 45 levels can be beaten in short order by skilled players.

Dedicated wrestling game fans will find enough in Big Bang Pro Wrestling to get their kicks, and Code Mystics has done its usual fine work in bringing this NEOGEO Pocket Color game to the Switch. We even get an English version of the manual. It’s quite a bit of fun for a game of its time and place, but it certainly feels of its era in many ways. It’s that side of it that keeps it from being a must-play, as the wrestling game genre has seen a lot of strides since the year 2000. Nevertheless, this is a rather neat curio and one I’m happy to see get its shot in the West after so long.

Whether you're racing through a canyon in an attempt to avoid a pterodactyl to shoot lasers or just listening to the spot-on soundtrack, it's worth checking out.

Those without pre-existing attachments are probably going to feel a bit lost here, and it’s hard to recommend the games to that sort of person as a result. That said, if you are a fan of this manga/anime, I think you’ll enjoy what’s on offer here. It’s all pretty modest in scope, but the characters are served well enough to satisfy. I think those who weren’t pleased with the canon ending of the series will find some additional joy here as you can choose a different path for our hapless hero. Not an especially ambitious or intriguing take on the genre, but good enough.

It's not the most original thing you'll play, but if you're up for some straightforward alien homicide, Buzz has your back.

Pixel Ghost has five worlds, with five levels in each, making 25 levels in total. I've finished exactly three levels, which is probably embarrassingly poor performance, but I'd like to see how World 2 is different, which probably means reduced sleep tonight. If you pride yourself on collecting the weird things the App Store has to offer, don't miss Pixel Ghost.

I want to recommend Wizard Ops for its gameplay, but I can't ignore the severe lack of content.

Midnight Bite is a nourishing snack for those who are looking for something entertaining, yet wholly challenging. For those who can put up with slightly burdensome controls, if you like vampires, and you’re a fan of stealth action games, this will most definitely satisfy your hunger.

Those without pre-existing attachments are probably going to feel a bit lost here, and it’s hard to recommend the games to that sort of person as a result. That said, if you are a fan of this manga/anime, I think you’ll enjoy what’s on offer here. It’s all pretty modest in scope, but the characters are served well enough to satisfy. I think those who weren’t pleased with the canon ending of the series will find some additional joy here as you can choose a different path for our hapless hero. Not an especially ambitious or intriguing take on the genre, but good enough.

Still, while Uppercup Football is perhaps too chaotic for my tastes, there's still fun to be had with the core soccer play, the many references to pop and gaming culture with the many opponents are amusing, and even the elements that make the game chaotic are still fun to play with, just not all the time.

Even if it could stand to have more unique features, The Balloons - Endless Floater is worth trying, especially if you've grown tired of the increasingly annoying energy reliant titles.

Casual gamers looking for a well-done take on the strategic line-drawing game should definitely check out Rescue City – especially since the first fifteen missions are free.

The story mode is long and throws enough novelty out in the form of equipment upgrades and new visual themes to keep things interesting, and the survival mode is a lot of fun

If you’re interested in the idea of fighting fires and are open to playing with others online, I think you’ll have a good time with Firefighting Simulator – The Squad. It plays well and figuring out how to work together to put out a fire is a change of pace from the usual multiplayer fare. If you’re planning to go it alone, it’s a slightly tougher call. With the AI squad not being very helpful, things take a lot longer and the missions can start to feel just a little tedious as a result. Still, that core idea and its implementation has a fair bit of water in the hose.

As an overall package, Hot Wheels Unleashed is better than you might have expected. It does its license justice, and the racing action is more than competent. I’m not really a fan of how much luck plays a role, in terms of what cars you get from the Blind Boxes, in how well you’re able to tackle the campaign. If you get bad pulls, grinding for more chances can take forever. I also feel like some of the longer courses are a little too long, running for several minutes in some cases. Again, there is a big update coming very soon and likely more to come in the future, so some or all of these points could eventually be fixed. I can only review what is in front of me, and that’s a game that is quite good but with its fair share of flaws.

Panda Picnic is pretty cute, and I admit I did enjoy the gameplay. Ultimately, however, I would wander away from it because it took so long for people to make moves.