The game costs $6.99 with no IAPs and is definitely worth your money, your time, and the tears you'll shed every time you lose.

It’s hard to find much to object to in Gubbins, really. It doesn’t do anything dramatically different from other word games on a fundamental level, so if you don’t like that kind of thing I guess you won’t enjoy this? Otherwise, this is smooth sailing all the way. It has tons of charm thanks to its lively presentation, the extra twists give the gameplay a flavor of its own, and you can try it out for free, buy extra bits like more Gubbins a la carte, or pay one reasonable fee to get everything. I’ll happily take this game and all the gubbins and Gubbins that come with it.

If endless games are your thing, you'll definitely want to check out ALONE.

Cartoony, easy on the eyes and smoothly animated, Velocirapture looks like some twisted children's television show's iOS game spin-off. While hardly the deepest gaming experience around, Velocirapture remains one of those engaging sort of titles that are perfect for the long minutes in someone's waiting room.

Like other games of this type, once you've exhausted Soda Dungeon, you probably won't be inclined to come back to it anytime soon. The road to said exhaustion is packed with a lot of enjoyment, however, and it's also longer than you might expect.

The Last Express is a game I want my toddler to play in about a decade, and I have renewed hope that he'll get the chance.

Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is the perfect game to unwind with thanks to its amazing writing, charm, and great soundtrack. It isn’t too long though so keep that in mind. It absolutely is worth the asking price on Switch, and I hope it does eventually either get touch support or an iPad version. It was released in a very busy period, but I feel like Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is exactly what I needed with so many long games taking up my time.

Illusion Labs has taken the concept of multi-touch manipulation of an object to the next level, and has fleshed out a great gaming experience around it. It takes a lot of practice for the controls to click, but that process is also part of the fun.

It's deeply absorbing, and a strategy treat that fans of the genre should not miss.

As orthodox as it is in terms of gameplay, it does everything it’s doing so well that I can’t imagine any fan of the genre coming away disappointed. Add in the stellar visuals and excellent music, and you have a well-balanced experience that is more than worth your time and money.

Starseed: Origin has a faithful Atari veneer and intriguing game play elements that will keep you engaged and trying to beat your previous best even on early levels. If you don't dig the pixel scene, you can probably safely avoid this but anyone that wants a quick shot of nostalgic action, you can't go wrong here.

It might sound a bit like this is a case of style over substance, but while House of Mice's wrapper is certainly its most delicious part, the gameplay inside still gets by as an enjoyable, easy to grasp concept that offers enough of a challenge to keep it interesting.

If you like word games and dungeon crawlers, Cryptmaster will likely be one of your favorite games in years. It oozes humor, charm, and constantly keeps you engaged with its striking aesthetic and mechanics. I also like how the developers cater to those who play with a controller here, though I recommend a keyboard for the smoothest experience.

This isn't called Virtual Boxing, or Street Boxer, or Extreme Boxing. It's called Real Boxing for a very good reason, and it lives up to its name impeccably well.

Don't miss this one. It might be free, but I'd have easily paid for a title as interesting as this and am eagerly looking forward to Bar Oasis 2.

Oh, and the game is absolutely gorgeous, its alien bio-luminescent look being extremely colorful, with an atmospheric soundtrack that's a perfect fit for the game. It's just the bow on a game that's so wonderfully-made otherwise.

The only potential flaws or suggestions I have for Dream of Pixels would be to allow players to switch out their tetromino or see upcoming tetrominoes for tactical strategies. Maybe it's not necessary, but seeing multiple pieces only in the puzzle mode's HUD made me miss them when they weren't in the others.

If you weren't a huge fan of the first Temple Run then I doubt the sequel will drastically change your mind.

Roundguard is a great game altogether. It’s got everything you’d want from a bouncy dungeon crawler/RPG. You’ve got unique characters and enemies that are beautifully designed, witty and smart dialogues with a small dose of easter eggs, and engaging gameplay that you can play both mindlessly or completely focused. If you haven’t already, Roundguard is a game you must try out as soon as possible.

Aside from its slow start and minor UI quibbles, 7 Mages is a very good game.

With a fair monetization scheme, gameplay that's hard to put down, and a fun retro aesthetic, Hammer Bomb is something I'm going to be playing for quite a while. I didn't expect it to be that deep going in, but as we all know looks can be deceiving.

If you're expecting a brand new Street Fighter that's pushing the limits of the latest iOS hardware, then you'll probably be disappointed. If Capcom were to go all out and create all new sprites and a full new game from the ground up, it'd likely need to be a free to play casual swipe-fighter like Injustice or Marvel Contest of Champions just to justify its cost. Not that I wouldn't play the crap out of something like that, but it's still not a replacement for a traditional fighter. However, if you loved the older Street Fighter IV games on mobile then I think you'll love Champion Edition. It's all of the improvements I've been wanting for years, and its excellent online modes will ensure it lives a long, happy life. Or at least until the next iOS update breaks it.

Crow Country joins Signalis as one of the best survival horror games in recent years. It is shockingly good, and I can’t wait to revisit it when its next update arrives. I urge you to at least try the free demo. It feels perfect on Steam Deck. What I thought would be a nice throwback horror game ended up being one of the best in years for the genre, and a standout title in an already amazing 2024 for games.

The game's narrative does a great job wrapping all of Spiral's components together in a story that's not only compelling but also just interesting. If any of this sounds remotely up your alley, you need to check out Spiral Episode 1.

The game's cheerfulness sometimes threatens to overwhelm its subject matter, but its mostly used as a bulwark against, and an intensifier for, the terror of World War I.

I’m obviously not going to pretend like this remake’s new visuals, content, and gameplay enhancements make up for the lack of the Persona 3 Portable’s female protagonist option and FES’ The Answer, but Atlus has done a fantastic job with most aspects of this remake bringing out a new gorgeous and modern take on Persona 3 for the current generation. Even if you already played Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable like I did, Persona 3 Reload has enough to justify a replay. It also feels almost perfect on Steam Deck, my favorite way to play it now.

It was always up in the air as to whether or not Spike Chunsoft could get back in the Shiren groove after so long without a new entry, but Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island shows that the developer still understands the beating heart of this long-running franchise. It’s a game that embraces where it comes from, and while that means it might still turn some players off, I think the best thing Shiren can be in this modern rogue-wild world is true to itself. A fantastic game, and I hope this is the start of a whole new chapter for Shiren.

If you’ve never played a Warriors game before, Samurai Warriors 4 DX is superb value and a fantastic game to start with. Some aspects are dated compared to newer Omega Force games and the price should’ve been a bit lower though. That aside, it is incredible to finally have it on PC over a decade later, and it is almost perfect on Steam Deck out of the box. I hope it can be optimized a bit for a locked 60fps because I always love playing Warriors games on a portable, and Samurai Warriors 4 DX on Steam Deck is an amazing version of one of my favorite Warriors games.

Lies of P feels like a greatest hits Souls cover album by a band that is amazing at improvising and making everything fit in perfectly. It feels like the closest you can get to an actual FromSoftware game by an external developer, and it is one of the best games of the year if you’re up for the challenge. Lies of P is polished, fun, and punishing through its levels and bosses with a gorgeous aesthetic. I want to see this team tackle more themes like Pinocchio in the future because they nailed it here, and it feels so good on Steam Deck.

Finding Teddy is a delight and a surprise. It's a game that could easily languish as a hidden gem of the platform, but it's just as sure to be evangelized by those that play it. It's an easy game to love, particularly if you're a fan of point-and-click adventure. The story of a girl and her teddy bear may not seem like the must-play hit of the moment, but it has so much love to give. A little of your time isn't much to ask in return.

Oddly, the online leaderboards for the Score Attack mode seem to be non-functional at the moment. Hopefully those kick in sooner rather than later, as players will eventually want to migrate over to comparing with each other. Even without that feature functioning, Espgaluda II is another highly-affordable conversion of one of the better arcade bullet hell shooters.

If you're a gamer that likes to tear up the slopes on occasion, do not let this one pass you by.

For a simple puzzle game, it doesn't get much better than this. The graphics are both bright and colorful, and as expected, gameplay is a ton of fun.

With all the different combinations of modes and stages, you’ve got 160 unique situations to play through. That isn’t even getting into the idea of improving on your scores, which is certainly something most fans of the genre will want to get into. It all runs at 60 frames per second, and the controls are incredibly responsive. Sure, it’s not much to look at compared to other games of this genre, but when it comes to sheer gameplay it’s really hard to beat what rRootage Reloaded offers for its highly reasonable price.

Valleys Between offers a remarkably calming experience despite the dangers that can appear. Being mindful about the environment you control with the touch of a finger allows you to also reflect on your physical world. The level difficulty is balanced compared to current progress through the game. The graphics, music, and sound effects combine to create a thoroughly awe-inspiring experience. But perhaps mostly importantly, Valleys Between is a well-needed reminder that life, the universe, everything is about finding the right balance.

Sorcery! 4 brings the series to an excellent close. As far as I'm concerned, it's a better finish than the actual books got, and I'm impressed with the sheer number of options the player is given for reaching their goal.

Outside of including the middling 2010 Rocket Knight and adding in more save states, I can’t really think of many ways Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked could be better. If you know and love the games, you can pick up this set without fear and relive your happy memories. If you’ve never played them before, I think the three high-quality games in this set represent a solid value for fans of 2D platformers. I’m glad this turned out okay, both for fans of Sparkster and those who are about to become one.

If you skipped Bugsnax before, this iOS version is superb. The developers went above and beyond with the port by even adding many DualSense features that work wirelessly in addition to delivering an excellent conversion when it comes to visuals and performance. This is easily the best portable version of Bugsnax, and the low asking price compared to other platforms makes it an even easier recommendation. It still has the same issues as the original game, but Bugsnax has never been more accessible, and this is one of the best mobile ports of 2023.

It's impossible to put down, and inspired me to spend entire afternoons trying to be the very best for multiple reasons. Start playing Tomb of the Mask now, and you may never stop.

Rogue Legacy 2 sometimes feels a bit too familiar, but it’s a better, more well-rounded game than its predecessor in a wide variety of ways. There are so many top-notch games of this sort on the Nintendo Switch already that you may not immediately be drawn to this game due to it lacking any flashy new feature, but those who give it a chance will find a degree of substance that even the first game was lacking.

I found myself a little blindsided by how much I enjoyed Fighting Fantasy Legends. Nomad's Talisman port is good, but this game is on another level for them. It's a treat to get to explore these places and characters from yet another interesting perspective, and I really appreciated the way the mechanics went their own way while still being quite faithful to the basic idea of a gamebook. Long-time fans will have a lot of fun stomping around the familiar places, while newcomers might just find this the most approachable of all of these excellent twists on the Fighting Fantasy brand. It isn't the flashiest of games, but don't let it slip by you just because of that. This is a quality adventure that brings out the best of some genuinely classic adventures.

Down in Bermuda does a lot of good by keeping it fresh. Puzzles are unique, the different islands and environments are refreshing, the style of the game is relaxed, and there was no feeling of frustration from it. It’s a really solid game that I hope gets a whole lot more content soon as I saw no issues at all with it. I would certainly recommend this game to you (or your kids) for a fun little weekend.

Overall, X2 Soccer 2010 is one of the top soccer game experiences right now on the App Store.

Ticket to Ride is a sharp game that has all the charm of the board game minus a lot of mess. It is as challenging as you can make it and rarely unsatisfying.

It’s fast, furious, and full of neat tricks to learn to consistently bring your play to a higher level. It sure doesn’t hurt that it’s an incredibly competent port with just about every option you would want. Those who love shoot-em-ups shouldn’t miss it.

As a sequel to Halo: Spartan Assault, it would make sense that Strike seeks to improve upon its predecessor and it succeeds in that regard. While the changes to the formula feel more evolutionary than revolutionary, those improvements are on a game that was already great to begin with making Strike an even better dual stick shooter.

The game is not only fun, but wonderfully, absolutely silly and unique.

Add tight and responsive touch controls to a list that includes fabulous art design, awesome music, a new twist on an old mechanic, and the ability to bring in your own tracks and you end up with an experience easily worth your time and money.

This series is getting better, but since it takes the small development team at least a year to produce an episode, this intriguing mystery may not be resolved for a few more years; but we'll be waiting.

Disgaea 7 picks things back up in a great way after the stumbling of the sixth installment. It’s a big silly game with a big silly heart, pulling you in with its approachable nature and then sending you down a deep, dark hole of systems to play with. Disgaea fans often spend hundreds of hours playing each game. Some of those games deserve that, and some perhaps don’t. This one? It’s worth spending a ton of time with, so long as you aren’t wholly burnt out on the franchise’s antics already.

Nihilumbra is a must-play game, whether you're in it for the story or the art, the puzzles or the platforming.

A short, sweet, and fairly brilliant ride through a colorful and imaginative world.

Casey's Contraptions is a joy to play.

The folks at Wicky Ware have done just that, with Mines of Mars being a highly enjoyable melding of exploration and combat wrapped around a side-scrolling mining adventure.

If you even like the idea of roguelikes, or enjoy a nice, fast-paced, light RPG experience, you should definitely give this a try. It's pretty much everything you could ask for in a sequel.

Despite these minuscule glitches and gripes, I really enjoyed recklessly driving around REKT!'s eye-catching sandbox arena. Landing complicated stunts and achieving higher scores (all while unlocking cars and cosmetics) kept the game feeling fresh and satisfying. Its controls were a pleasure to utilize and I never felt that I was being cheated out of a high score by the game itself. Every mistake felt like it was solely my own. My biggest complaint with the game is the lack of another arena or game-mode. However, isn't that a fantastic complaint to have? For 2 bucks, you can't go wrong with snagging it.

All in all, I have sincerely enjoyed my time with Animus- Stand Alone. It exemplifies the aspects that make the Dark Souls franchise so fun while condensing them down into a near-perfect package for mobile. The grind for cool-looking gear was a blast and I enjoyed feeling myself get stronger/better as a player. Animus- Stand Alone is currently the closest you will get to Dark Souls on mobile and it deserves to be commended for that fact alone.

Astlibra Revision is an outstanding game, and one I didn’t even see coming. It takes a little time to get going, but once it does this is a genuine ride that you won’t want to get off of. You can sometimes feel the game’s patchwork nature at times, but that doesn’t do much to hurt what is otherwise an amazingly fun experience. If you like action-RPGs or just are in the mood for a bonkers story, you have to play Astlibra Revision.

At least for my tastes, Splatoon 3 is a great new chapter in a fantastic series. While more of an evolution than a revolution, it adds enough new things to liven things up for veteran players while also being the new de facto point of entry for new players. I’m not really sure where Nintendo can take the series from here, but I suppose that’s a problem for a couple of years from now after the team has done its thing updating this game. For now, I think we all have enough room in our lives for another helping of colorful, charming, ink-flinging action.

If you enjoy monster catching or even just mechanically rich RPGs, it’s hard to find a game that delivers as much content at such a scale of quality as Siralim Ultimate. It’s a testament to this series that every time a new installment comes out, I end up sinking at least a couple hundred hours into it despite having done that with every previous one. Those looking for snappy dialogue or a novel story probably won’t get what they are after with Siralim Ultimate, but otherwise this is a must-have for RPG lovers.

Motorsport Manager Mobile 3 is simulating forms of racing that not everyone, especially those of us in the U.S., really understand all that well. It’s to the credit of its developers that it accomplishes it so well that you’re likely to get sucked in after playing just a race or two and really want to start building up your race team to chase down championships. Even if you don’t know your splitters from your spoilers, you just might find yourself enjoying the ride here

In terms of pure technical racing, Battle Riders probably isn't the best game available on iOS, but it luckily doesn't have to get by on its racing alone. The combat adds a welcome layer of complexity that helps cover for any shortcomings in the racing department.

Squids Wild West isn't fundamentally different from its predecessor, but it's a great follow-up. It's also an excellent chapter in the story of Squids, one with dramatic tension, clever dialogue and all those kinds of good things.

If you like dice games, drop/match games or high-score competitions, I'm not sure how you've made it this far without hitting that "BUY" button.

If you’ve played it before, I don’t think you’re going to get much out of this version other than a format shift. But if it’s new to you, I think it’s as good as a brand-new game. You will definitely get your money’s worth out of it, just as much as someone would have when it released on the Wii U. It’s a wonderful game that a lot of people missed out on due to when and where it released, and I think it’s great that it’s now available to a considerably wider audience.

This isn't a manic, balls-to-the-wall racer, it's a calculated, slow puzzle game. While the mechanic of the original is intact, the rest of the game sees updates in every single category and its absolutely bursting with content and game modes.

Despite its looks, Rosie’s Reality is a family game that the whole family can actually enjoy. Its friendly visuals and cheerful narrative, combined with challenging puzzles and easy-to-learn gameplay will keep players of all ages engaged in this colorful adventure.

The only thing keeping me from giving Alien Death Mob my highest recommendation is the lack of any sort of online leaderboards. When a game involves score-chasing, I like to have those in this day and age. For the price it’s asking, if you have any love whatsoever for classic arcade action then you’ll definitely want to pick this up. It’s packed to the brim with content and all of it is fun to play. It’s an excellent game that straddles the past and present perfectly.

Online multiplayer is the proverbial cherry on top of numerous other great features, making First Touch Soccer an effortless recommendation.

A fun, high quality physics puzzler with intuitive controls and a full level creation and online sharing system for only $1.99. We highly recommend it.

Punch Kick Duck is a blast to play, and a wonderful treat for the eyes and ears. It’s great to see Shaun Coleman take on another genre and put his unique spin on it, and the results are as good as I could have hoped. I hope our paths intertwine again in another ten years so I can see what he does with the single-screen platformer genre or something. For now, I’ll just keep enjoying this great slice of beat-em-up action. Perhaps you should, too.

If you are looking for a fine strategy sim game with enough depth to challenge but not too much to irritate, look no further than Rebuild 3.

Apart from some mild unpleasantness with some of the secrets that involved juggling items, I can’t really find anything negative to say about Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils. If you like platformers, pick it up. You’ll have a fantastic time with it, I’m virtually certain. The mark of a great platformer comes from how good it feels to play, and this is among the best of them.

At its core, Legend of the Skyfish is just a game with a winning premise that its developers cultivated into reaching as much of its potential as possible. I could see where future content or sequels could expand the breadth of actions you can undertake with your magical fishing pole, sure. But this game right now is a joyous experience worth checking out.

I would have unequivocally recommended Darkside if it cost any reasonable amount. However, considering you can download it for free, you have no excuse not to check out this most excellent arcade shooter.

It's nice to see developers using touch controls in new and innovative ways, especially when it involves car chases, 360 degree burn-outs, ramming, and slow motion vehicle smashes.

With plenty of depth, replayability and a great melding of genres, there's plenty to check out and enjoy.

Resident Evil 7 biohazard on iPhone 15 Pro is Capcom’s best conversion yet in the series, but it isn’t perfect. A bit more optimization would go a long way, but this is finally a game I can recommend on iPhone without big caveats. It is even good to play with touch controls now, but something like a Backbone or Razer Kishi will give you the best experience. I also love being able to take my progress to my MacBook Air and continue playing there. Resident Evil 7 biohazard gives me hope that we might see a similarly performing port for Resident Evil 2 Remake whenever that arrives on iPhone 15 Pro. Until then, this is Capcom’s best Resident Evil port on iPhone by a big margin, and Resident Evil 7 biohazard itself is an excellent entry in the amazing series.

It's hard not to love Lili. Like the character, the game can be obnoxious at times. But it's so pretty, so well-written, so cleverly designed on the whole that complaining feels a lot like nitpicking.

Premium arcade games with no IAP are as much of a rarity as ever these days. These developers have created an engaging and destruction filled game full of cool stuff to collect, kill, and become. Rebel Twins seems to continue improving with every game, and they deserve the price of admission. If you liked the first one, give this a shot for the variety it brings to the old formula, and if you haven’t played it, feel free to jump in. I’d still recommend playing both, honestly. Great mostly-mindless action fun.

Sprout: Idle Garden is fun and casual rather than all-consuming. Yes, I want to get that next flower that seems unobtainable… but I also want to do a complete redesign, so maybe that takes precedence. Or I want to stay away from my phone all day to spend time with family, and return to a boatload of cash and an option to triple it for watching an ad: score! As an added bonus, the game has an active Discord community! With 600+ members, the community (which is linked to in-game) is quite active which absolutely has an impact on the game experience as a whole.

So, Telltale has another hit on its hands, and as long as you have even the slightest interest in the character of Michonne, you should definitely be playing this miniseries.

Only you can know if you can be satisfied by such a brief encounter. If you can, Windosill is fantastic. It's gorgeous, playful and feels like it was born to be played on a touch screen. But I wouldn't blame you if the brevity is just too much.

Blot blows most of its competition out of the water with style alone. It's delightful, plain and simple, and when given the choice between equally solid games, I'll take the one that delights me any day.

The Last Warlock is a fantastic bit of medicine for anyone who has grown a little weary of the norm in this genre, and a breath of fresh air even if you haven't.

It took me a few hours to get through the main stages, and I still have things to collect and missions to complete, to say nothing of the Endless and Boss Endurance modes. At any rate, it's free to at least give it a shot, and if you like what you play and you're still hesitant about handing over that buck for the full game unlock, let me assure you: Ninjin delivers, and then some.

Ultimately, Dimension Shellshock extends Shredder’s Revenge in some smart ways, with some new characters to master and a highly-replayable new mode to enjoy. Sure, I’d love to see more characters and full-sized stages, but this is more than good enough to hold me over until what I hope is an inevitable sequel. Personally, I think it’s worth it just for either the new characters or the great survival mode, but both? Yes, that’s a win.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure finishes filling in a critical gap in the series, and it does so with style. This twelve-year old game has been given a little extra spit polish in the transition to Switch, helping a great game shine its brightest. Taken together with Trails from Zero, this is one of the strongest RPG experiences you can get on the Nintendo Switch and is arguably still the high point of the Trails series today.

The controls work well once you've mastered them and it's a blast to swipe a variety of shots, making the opponent run around the screen, just like I used to on the Xbox.

Radiant Tale is another excellent otome release from Aksys Games, and while it isn’t as good as Jack Jeanne (few in the genre come close), it is worth your time with how uplifting it feels with its memorable characters and story. Not only is it gorgeous, but this aesthetic absolutely shines on the OLED screen in handheld mode.

It's strange how liberating working through the puzzles feels. Over time, I've grown accustomed to looking things up when I can't quite figure out a puzzle in a game.

So, if you enjoy puzzle games, hidden object games, crime-solving games, or all of the above mixed in one, I have just the right number of dead bodies for you.

If you're a Deus Ex fan who was upset that the new game is mobile only, I still think it's worth giving a chance, and you might be pleasantly surprised. Impressions in our forums have been overwhelmingly positive, and for all future top-tier action games on iOS, the bar has been set high with the release of Deus Ex: The Fall.

Bakeru is a highly endearing little 3D platformer, one with a well-polished design and lots of fun ideas to spice things up during its relatively lengthy adventure. It really commits to its bit, and that part of it is almost infectious. Some framerate issues keep this from being all it could be on Switch, and I think people who come into this expecting Goemon are going to be disappointed by the fact that it’s not even trying to be that, but otherwise this is a highly-recommended title to close out your summer with.

Beneath the Lighthouse has a mesmerizing presentation coupled with easy to use controls and interesting levels.

Having now played Kingdom Eighties with its latest updates on iOS, Switch, and Steam Deck, it absolutely delivered in its promise of being a story-based expansion to the world of Kingdom. I was interested thanks to the setting, but the team nailed almost everything about this across its aesthetic, music, and story. The lack of co-op will no doubt be disappointing for some though, and I wish it ran without the few scrolling issues I encountered. Barring that, I have no issues recommending Kingdom Eighties at its current asking price. I hope the team builds on this setting for a future mainline game though.

Where the original at times felt like a nicely implemented tech demo, King Cashing 2 is an excellent game in its own right, improving on nearly every facet over the original and well worth checking out.

In the end, Shovel Knight Dig checks off two boxes for me: the desire for a Shovel Knight-ish experience on my iPhone, and the desire for more games like Downwell. It’s not flawless by any means, but it’s a great game with a lot of things going for it. I’m truly impressed with how well Nitrome was able to adapt the essence of Shovel Knight into such a different format without losing the satisfying elements of the pineapple and pen it was trying to smash together.