It's a fantastic example of the way that mobile-focused design doesn't have to mean that a game has to be any less deep or engaging in a long-term way. However you decide to play Reigns, you have to play this fun, inventive, and engaging game.

All in all, Kick Ass Commandos could not have a more fitting adjective in its title. It kicks ass, plain and simple. If you are looking for an action-packed romp through ridiculous environments and set pieces, look no further than this game. It's over the top with its humor, visuals, gameplay, and quality.

Fate/stay night REMASTERED is basically an essential for visual novel fans and I still can’t believe it is not only available in English, but also on both Switch and Steam. The low asking price makes it an even easier recommendation. While it may not look as good as Tsukihime‘s recent remake, Fate/stay night REMASTERED is still worth your time, and I’m glad I finally got to play it in English after all these years of owning the Japanese PS Vita release.

At the end of it all, Asuria Awakens is still a very traditional gamebook in terms of form and function. It just happens to be an exceptionally-crafted traditional gamebook, and indeed one of my very favorites so far.

Should you play Persona 5 Royal? Yes, of course you should. Should you play it on Switch? If you’re looking for the handheld experience or only have a Switch, absolutely. It’s a stellar port. If you’re playing on your TV there are probably better options in terms of visual fidelity, but this is a great way to enjoy one of the shining stars of the JRPG genre regardless of how you go about it.

In a nutshell, The Room games are among the best puzzle games the App Store has to offer, and Old Sins falls right in line with the three previous amazing titles.

Rocketcat is known for great games and amazing app support so I feel confident that this update is not the last nor the biggest nor the brightest we will be seeing to add onto this already fantastic game.

If you’re the kind of person who often complains about free to play games and the lack of depth in mobile games, do not hesitate to put your money where your mouth is and buy Stardew Valley. This game is absolutely incredible, and will not disappoint.

Furdemption is a trully great puzzle platformer with a whimsical protagonist and a colorful-yet-gory art style that stands out among the competition.

Fates Forever is ultimately quite the fun game, and that's because, well, it's a MOBA and it doesn't go too far outside the beaten path of what the genre has dictated.

It’s an Apple Arcade-like choice, but the price is fair bit higher. Is Poinpy worth that? It’s a question I can’t answer for you, but I can tell you that this is a superb mobile game. It fits the format perfectly, it’s easy and satisfying to dig into, and like Downwell it seems to give you back more the more you put into it. It’s a reason to pay attention to Netflix’s gaming initiative, and is honestly a fair bit more exciting than anything we’ve seen on Apple Arcade of late.

Death Road to Canada is another masterpiece from a partnership that keeps cranking out the hits.

Regardless of whether you've been vaguely curious about Magic the Gathering or an experienced player, you need to try Magic 2013 on the iPad. For us veterans of the game, it'll also serve as a cruel tease and horrid reminder of how badly Magic Online needs an iPad port.

What I will say, is that you need to download this game now. Punch Quest needs to be on every iOS device you own. It's totally free, the only way the IAP could be less obtrusive is if they removed it entirely, and you'll fall in love with the game inside of the first minute of play. What's not to like about that?

This is one game that certainly sets the standards for all future puzzle games.

Jack Jeanne is easily the best otome game you can play right now, if you’re ok with rhythm gameplay. I love rhythm games and good quality otome games so Jack Jeanne feels tailor made for me. If you enjoy rhythm games but haven’t been able to get into the otome sub genre yet, this is for you. Just go buy Jack Jeanne.

Instead of just taking a console or PC game and assuming a virtual cursor can be replaced with touch, Feral did a fantastic job with the interface and retained everything that made Tropico a fun experience in the first place. Just be ready to pay proper attention to the tutorial as it helps a ton for someone who hasn’t played a Tropico game before.

Horizon Chase is not just a fun racing game, it's also a template for how other developers need to do retro-inspired games.

If you're big on score-attack games with a load of personality, The Bug Butcher should probably be your next go-to. It had a lengthy journey through an Early Access period on PC, but the juice was worth the squeeze, and now you can enjoy it on a mobile device with a near 1:1 re-creation (sans co-op), and all of the advancements since.

It fires on all cylinders, and if you're a fan of the previous games you don't even need this review to determine if you should get it or not–you probably have already bought it.

I highly recommend giving Sky Force Reloaded a shot. It's a fun, well-made shoot 'em up with some unique quirks to it.

I’m very glad that Codebrew Games didn’t go all in with the social and life simulation elements here. Pocket City 2 is the perfect example of building on what people loved in the original game while adding a ton of optional quality content. I didn’t realize how much I’d end up just exploring my own city until I played Pocket City 2. It isn’t a super deep experience like the hardcore builders on PC, but that’s exactly what makes it good. This is a relaxing game that can be tweaked to your liking in terms of difficulty. As of this writing, I’ll be surprised if Pocket City 2 isn’t in our top 3 for the best iOS game of the year, and we are just in April. It isn’t often I end up gifting a game to multiple people a few hours in, but Pocket City 2 is that good.

Great Little War Game is the kind of game you can really sink your teeth into, which is rare enough. So I'm delighted to discover that it's also rich in features, good looking and full of humor.

A remarkable iPhone racing game. With licensed cars, control options that should make most people happy, and a very cool yet mostly superfluous driver profile and performance tracking system, Shift is a must-have for fans of the genre.

Getting through Another World is not a cakewalk; it's a difficult and challenging game.

I'm personally very happy with this extra set of levels, though I still see a lot of possibilities waiting to be explored should Ustwo decide to follow up Monument Valley with a stand-alone sequel in the future.

Hopiko isn't perfect, but this game aims really high in trying to be this really challenging, mobile-friendly speedrun game, and it succeeds far more than it ever fails at what it sets out to do. Definitely check this out.

I don’t know how Simogo keeps doing it, but Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, like every other game I’ve played from the studio, gets my highest possible recommendation. It is one of the best games I’ve ever played on Switch and Steam Deck. If you have the smallest interest in unique experiences and like puzzle games, buy Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and grab a notebook. You will not regret it.

jAggy Race is a fun casual game, but it's also an exciting and challenging game for competitive gamers who want to familiarize themselves with each track for better results.

These 2,000+ words are probably way more than are needed to get someone to download and try a free game, but hopefully that's a testament to the impression Tennis Champs Returns has left on me, and hopefully plenty of people will get the same type of joy out of the experience that I have.

It's my favorite game in the series, and is well worth the status of 'must-play' for any iOS gamer.

Like a lot of Square’s output from this period, Legend of Mana is rather experimental. The end result is something that tends to be a love-or-hate affair, but at least in my case I find it hard to hate something so utterly genuine. If you’ve enjoyed other off-beat affairs like Romancing SaGa 2 or The Last Remnant, you’ll want to bring that same open-minded approach to this game. I think you’ll find something rather special here if you do.

As it is, Dodo Master is a flawlessly created platformer that screams panache from beginning to end.

I can't say enough about Tiny Heroes. It's a fantastic game, with few flaws to speak of. Challenging, but rarely frustrating, it had me returning to levels again and again to improve my score. By turning genre conventions on their heads, Tiny Heroes succeeds brilliantly.

Ultimately, it’s more King of Dragon Pass. If you’re willing to put a little time into it and don’t mind that it can be terribly opaque and randomly cruel at times, you’re going to get an absurd amount of enjoyment out of it.

I've had an absolutely fantastic time playing King of Dragon Pass. Its slow pace makes it a perfect mobile game.

If you enjoy mini-golf, pool, and have liked grapefrukt games’ past releases, this should be the easiest purchase you make all year. Even if you’ve never played a game by the developer, subpar pool is the perfect entry point into an amazing catalog of lovely games. I would like some sort of an in-game glossary for specific terms though, because a few challenges seem a bit vague requiring trial and error.

Right now, Minecraft - Pocket Edition is just a pretty block-building game. It's getting better, and I'm really rooting for it to, but it doesn't give me any sense of adventure. Survivalcraft does, and it does it in impressive fashion for a mobile device. For that reason and the reasons listed above, it's the mobile Minecraft that I'm sticking with.

To sum up, Over the Alps is a fantastic game. It has a believable story, realistic characters, a great setting, several hundred different choices, multiple endings, a great balance between relaxing discovery and hard-pressed action, and emotional moments that make you feel. I cannot recommend this game enough for anyone that enjoys a good story, especially about spies and overcoming fascism.

I loved this game nearly 16 years ago as a joyous farewell to a series I felt was drifting away from me.

Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition is a very good port of an incredibly good game.

Yes, the price tag is rather astronomical when compared to bargain-bin, $0.99 titles but there's a reason for that. The World Ends With You: Solo Remix is not a game built for five-minute diversions; it's a solid game, one meant to leave a permanent impression.

Simply put, you owe it to yourself to check out Super Evil Megacorp’s latest masterpiece.

Blokshot Revolution is one of those brilliant titles that finds a central mechanic that feels good and runs all the way home with it.

Cally's Caves 3 is jam-packed with content, of which a significant and satisfying portion is totally free to play with only infrequent ads as strings.

There are five tutorials, which barely count as levels, and another 25 stages across five worlds. I was shocked by how well every level distinguished itself, even within worlds. Every new screen was like beginning a newly reset game of Mouse Trap, but with setup exorcised in favor of pure Goldbergian fun.

It's obvious that Psyonix put a lot of care and effort into ARC Squadron and it certainly shows in all facets of the game. With a ton of content, smooth controls and visuals worth talking about, there's little to not enjoy about ARC Squadron.

Angry Birds is the Super Mario Brothers of mobile devices, and Angry Birds Space is so successful in redefining the Angry Birds formula that everyone should give it a try.

What it all really comes back to is that Wall Kickers just feels good to play, something that will come as zero surprise to anyone who has played any previous games from Kumobius. It can fill short periods of time quite well, but you’ll also find it up to the challenge of making you procrastinate on more important matters for longer sessions as well. The core mechanics ride the line between simplicity and depth the way any genuinely satisfying arcade experience needs to, and the difficulty scales up nicely. Throw in that usual Kumobius quality on the presentation, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Sorcery! 3 is easily the biggest and most robust gamebook inkle has produced to date.

Little Luca is a charming, innovative and downright beautiful game – nay, piece of art – that no iOS user should be without.

I'm pretty big on a lack of direction for games as I feel like there is way too much handholding, but a lot of you may not feel the same way. If the demo is grinding your gears, odds are the rest of the premium levels will too.

Bringing things to a close, Teeny Tiny Town is not a wildly innovative game in the broad strokes, but the fact that it builds on the familiar is part of what makes it work so well. You probably already know how it works, and that knowledge base is exactly what makes it so freeing when you see what it’s doing differently from the usual game of this sort. This is a very smartly designed game, and I really appreciate that. It also doesn’t hurt that it has a keen art style and some genuinely chill audio. A winning package all around, and if you have even the smallest love for puzzle games, I think it’s a must-play.

The real magic lies in the emotional attachment to the characters and the whimsical sounds and visuals that permeate every inch of the touch screen.

But this is a must-download not just because it costs you nothing, but also because it's such a clever and fun game.

There are a lot of reasons to love a game. Great challenge, fun with friends, gorgeous design-all good reasons. Despite its rough edges, Mikey Shorts gets to me because it brings me to a place where I can play and have a great time, without hitting walls, without getting frustrated, without having to pass it on to the next kid in line. It's a good feeling, one I don't particularly want to give up.

Ghost Blade is without question the finest example of stylish action available on iOS to date, and an essential pick-up for any fan of action games.

Oceanhorn might be a flawed, blatant rip-off of Zelda, but it’s worth playing — especially for the originality it does introduce.

The Making of Karateka is a deep dive on a single game done in a way I’ve never seen the likes of before, presented like only our medium can offer. It takes you on a captivating journey not just of a legendary game but of a legendary game creator as he finds his strengths and blossoms. I want a shelf full of these Gold Masters from Digital Eclipse. Here’s hoping I’ll get that and more. What did I say about Atari 50 again? “An essential work for all fans of gaming history"? Yes, that sounds perfect here too.

With 40 levels to play, each with StarFruit to collect and ranks to earn, you'll get hours of fun out of Gesundheit!. It's a real charmer.

It may not be as revolutionary as its progenitor but it's certainly capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the tower defense heavyweights in the App Store. SubAtomic Studios definitely have not lost their touch. Now, go buy it.

If you're looking for a fun time waster and you're a fan of Super Crate Box, Toast Time is for you.

While Spaceplan was only in my life for a few days, it was a major part of my life for those few days. It's a really cool and engaging experience, and a unique take on the clicker that even skeptics of the genre should check out. Also, it has more potatoes that you could ever imagine.

Don't be confused by the Cartoon Network's publishing of the game: while this is a game that can be played by kids, adults and any kind of 'gamer' will find that it puts up a good fight.

It's one of the most ambitious iPhone games I've played so far, and despite the questionable originality of the game I've really got to hand it to Gameloft for creating such an amazing iPhone experience.

If you love 868-HACK or want a high score game with a unique touch, check out Helix.

The Executive is one of the best mobile games of 2015, and is something that you need to play. It's so amusing and so much fun, that you're doing yourself a disservice by not playing it.

As you would expect from this developer, the interface is excellent and they've given all of the little details the treatment they deserve. I can't wait for the next batch of titles to come and hope that this is just the start of getting as many of the Fighting Fantasy books onto mobile as possible.

Baba Is You is absolutely essential on iOS. The game itself was already amazing and I’m glad the iOS conversion is nearly perfect. While my two problems with it will not be an issue for everyone, I’m hoping future updates bring iCloud save sync and the ability to create a suspend save in the middle of a level. I already thought Baba Is You was sold for too little at its Nintendo Switch and PC asking price so having it at half of that on mobile feels like even bigger of a steal. It is pretty crazy to me that two of my favourite puzzle games of all time, Baba Is You and The Witness are finally now also playable on my phone (and iPad). Having Baba Is You on Nintendo Switch ready for me to boot up as a break between other games was always great but having it ready to instantly load up anytime on my phone is even better.

The game is incredibly well executed with excellent controls, has a ton of content and is a lot of fun. We highly recommend it.

It's a massive, and immensely enjoyable experience.

Rodeo Stampede is essential for anyone looking for a casual experience that is hard to master and even harder to put down

It might seem a little pricey given its 8-bit origins, but I can promise you that when you're coming out the other end of Dragon Quest 3, you'll feel like every penny was well-spent.

If you’re hoping to experience Resident Evil 4 Remake on Steam Deck to have a great experience on a portable, it is essential. Having now played it on PC, PS5, and Steam Deck, the DualSense features definitely make the PS5 version my favorite, but Resident Evil 4 Remake is a joy to play on Steam Deck, and it plays without issues from the get go. It is fantastic to see a big budget release like this work out of the box on Steam Deck while managing looking and playing so well. The game itself has a few frustrating moments, but it still gets my highest possible recommendation for Steam Deck owners hoping to play it on the go.

868-HACK is for everyone who loves to tell themselves, “Just one more try”, and realize 2 more hours have passed. It’s that kind of gripping game experience that makes you forget all else exists at that moment.

If you already own Resident Evil 4 remake, the Separate Ways expansion DLC is essential. It is honestly one of the best value and quality DLC releases we’ve seen from Capcom in a long time. If you don’t own Resident Evil 4, now is a great time to play one of Capcom’s best remakes, and experience this incredible expansion. With the game and expansion, Capcom has delivered something beyond incredible for horror and action game fans.

This is one of my favorite iOS games of 2016 so far, and I strongly recommend giving it your attention, regardless of whether you're an old hand at the genre or a newcomer. Just make sure you play it through to the true ending, because if you don't, you'll never truly get ahead in your studies at this strange school.

Even though I've never been a huge fan of point-and-click adventure games, the story and all around high-quality production values of Broken Sword sucked me in like a good book.

Though it can be extremely frustrating, it rewards the player who pushes through the painful parts. Each time you replay a level you'll learn more, memorize more, become better at the game. The rush you'll get when you finally reach the end of a challenging level is worth the trouble, every time.

You might make it a personal mission to progress through the quests that help to build your knowledge of the game while also having you build certain things or upgrade them to bring new mechanics into play. Or you might just want to keep zoning areas, building roads and just increasing your population to as big a number as possible. Ultimately it doesn’t really matter how you play Pocket City, I think you’ll have a blast regardless.

Really Bad Chess manages to be more than it may appear on the surface, as through the intrinsic unfamiliarity that the randomisation of pieces causes, the app becomes a way for both beginners and veterans to learn how to read the board, react to contrasting scenarios, and eventually become better at the game. This accessibility, and how it has managed to turn the relatively mundane task of learning chess into an extremely enjoyable experience, is mightily impressive, and even more so when you consider than none of this has been accomplished through excessive gimmicks or trying to reinvent the board. Really Bad Chess isn’t really bad, because it isn’t really chess - it’s something better.

It would have been easy for Slayaway Camp to just be an amusing puzzle game that didn't try to be a fun puzzler underneath. But, the theme is fun, the puzzles are fun, and those two elements are skilfully combined into one complete package. Slayaway Camp is a killer puzzle game.

I'm not sure what else to say in this review, because I don't want to spoil anything at all. Icycle: On Thin Ice is a wonderful game from start to finish, and one of those rare games that, as soon as I finished, made me want to discuss what it means with others.

Severed is just a game that's all-around cool. Its aesthetic is top-notch, its combat is deep and engaging.

Guildmaster Story is, on the surface, a game about solving puzzles. The levels are fun, albeit entirely predictable and somewhat easy. But where the game truly shines is through its biting social/political commentary combined with the consistent jabs at the very free-to-play model the game is derived from. The irony is delicious and very much intentional. I look forward to Ganyo’s future business endeavours (and yours as well, Will O’Neill).

Anyway, Enemy Unknown is a fantastic, superbly designed strategy game that hits a ton of different notes and nails all of them. If you're into strategy games, give this a go. It'll blow you away, and you'll probably walk away with a few stories to tell.

Old School RuneScape is like a whole king-sized Las Vegas buffet. I’ve been playing for weeks now, and still feel like I’m barely even coming close to knowing what I’m doing, which has been really awesome as so few mobile titles seem to offer anything that even feels like any meaningful discovery or character advancement anymore.

While in some ways I can understand people who miss the cozy little puzzle box the first game offered, I think it's truly impressive the way this series keeps taking big steps to shake things up. The Room Three, for better or for worse, is the biggest and most elaborate puzzle box Fireproof has designed yet.

It totally captures that gameplay niche of a game you can load up and play for a few minutes while providing a feel of progression that also makes the title suitable for substantially longer play sessions- Especially once you start to discover some of its secrets and other particularly effective techniques for maximizing your score.

Crossy Road is a simple game, but there's clearly a lot of work that went into making it one of the best 'simple' experiences that can be enjoyed.

If you're still even vaguely interested in Angry Birds games, you need Angry Birds Star Wars II. Hell, even if you haven't played an Angry Birds game in a while, it's still worth checking out, as firing off evil Boba Fett pigs at unsuspecting birds is just as much fun as you'd expect.

Ultimately, while Ridiculous Fishing EX is a full-on remake, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It takes a game that very much worked in every way, buffs up the presentation, piles some extra content on top, and most importantly makes it work the way it should on modern devices. Those who played the original top to bottom will find some new things to enjoy, and those who are completely new to Ridiculous Fishing are in for quite a treat. I wish we had seen the universe where mobile gaming continued along these lines instead of where it ended up going, but for now I’ll just say I’m very happy to have this terrific, near-perfect game vital once more.

Bad Piggies is awesome, and needs to be a part of your iOS game collection just as much as the rest of the Angry Birds series. Rovio nails the same accessibility of the Angry Birds games while taking the franchise in a direction that feels both totally fresh and entirely appropriate.

I can't praise Checkpoint Champion enough. It's a fun game on its own, with plenty of challenge on its own. But the social features, gorgeous design, and clever features all push it to a level that should leave other developers jealous: this game is just plain sleek.

The distinctive sights and sounds are worth the effort.

This game is utterly uproarious, and Tin Man did a great job at using their gamebook engine, along with their visual and music touches, at making this come to life.

Scurvy Scallywags bleeds the charm and personality of Ron Gilbert’s classics, and is something to appreciate in a landscape of games that often find themselves without an identity.

Rolando: Royal Edition ensures that HandCircus’s opus will go down as more than just a forgotten footnote in the depths of TouchArcade’s archives, but instead a significant part of the App Store’s incredible legacy. Welcome back, Rolando – we’ve missed you.