Game Dev Story won't impress you with stellar visuals or an iPhone specific feature set, but it is a well thought out and thoroughly enjoyable time sink, and is even more intriguing if you're familiar with the last few decades of video game history.

If you've been waiting for a genuinely great rally racer for your mobile device, well, here you go.

SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions is the first game in the series that I feel like I can safely recommend to RPG fans in general. It has all of the things that make SaGa games so appealing and very little of the opacity that normally turns people away. It’s absolutely brilliant and even though I’ve finished it four times already, I still have to fight a near-constant itch to fire up a fresh save and go at it again.

Star Ocean The Second Story R is incredible. As someone new to this specific game in the series, it is equal parts stunning and mechanically stimulating with a superb soundtrack. I hope Square Enix gives more classics this treatment, because Star Ocean The Second Story R ended up delivering in every aspect. I have no qualms recommending this to any fan of RPGs, and you absolutely should play the demo.

Sword & Sworcery is an incredibly unique composition that almost makes you want to analyze it as if it were a movie rather than a video game, which not too many iOS games have ever made me do.

I feel like if you were going to buy Goblin Sword, you've already done it. It's such a crazy value and has such good production quality it kind of speaks for itself.

Risk of Rain Returns does enough to feel fresh, but manages to nail what I loved about the original with my rose tinted memories of it from back in the day. On Switch, performance isn’t perfect during the late-game, but everything else is perfect, and I’ve had a ton of fun playing it online and offline on both Switch and Steam Deck. This is how a classic indie game should be revived for modern platforms.

There's so much fun to be had from the various references and the tweaks to the formula that each theme brings to the table.

This game is just incredible. Every regular readers knows that I'm a retro nut, and Forget-Me-Not has retro goodness in droves.

Is this really the end of Theatrhythm? If so, Final Bar Line goes out with a massive bang. Including DLC, the total tracklist numbers around half a thousand songs, drawn not only from the diverse assortment of games in the Final Fantasy series but also the larger Square Enix library in general. Even if you don’t touch the DLC, you’ve got a whopping 385 songs to enjoy here. The new tricks in the charts add a bit of excitement even to the old familiar songs, and the refreshed presentation looks great. If you like music games or Final Fantasy, you’ll want Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. If you like both, you probably already bought it.

Can a retro game compilation get by solely as an educational look into gaming history? Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration offers the most compelling evidence yet that yes, they can. The nice thing about this set is that it doesn’t have to get by on that alone. There is a nice mix of games here that is worth diving into. That being said, the outstanding walk through history is the most impressive and fascinating part of this endeavor, bringing new life into the games it talks about. An essential work for all fans of gaming history.

Children of the Sun is fantastic. Not only does it encourage replays to climb up the leaderboards, but it is exactly what I want to see from Devolver Digital with its vibe and awesome gameplay. I hope it does well while also coming to consoles in the future. Right now, it is a perfect fit for Steam Deck and shines on the OLED screen. Don’t skip this one.

TSUKIHIME: A piece of blue glass moon is a visual novel masterpiece. It was one of the biggest games in the genre that I hadn’t played at all, and I’m glad to have finally experienced it through this remake on both Switch and PS5. Regardless of whether you enjoy Type Moon’s works or are new to the developer, Tsukihime is an essential.

I have loved every minute spent playing this game, in fact I have played it to the detriment of other aspects of my life, If you have been missing my reviews of late, you can blame this game. Every time I sit down near my computer I end up thinking I need just one more screen shot, one more run through in case I missed something. Now, I’ve got to go and catch up on housework, or maybe I′ll do the dishes after just one more game.

In the end, here's Threes! in three sentences: Threes! is about as close as it gets to a perfect mobile game. Threes! is a game you need on every iOS device you own. Threes! is a game you need to tell your iPhone owning non-gamer-but-plays-some-games friends about.

Ovivo is a tantalizing, ambitious work of art both mechanically and visually. I guess there is a little bit of pulse pounding excitement in the meditation after all.

Anything but a quick cash-in.

Overall, Prison Architect is a pretty deep simulation and management game that offers ton of things to do and ways to play. Don't let its cartoony looks deceive you; this is a pretty hardcore and demanding game. If you like classic PC management games, you're going to love Prison Architect. If you don't care to dive deep into a game and are simply looking for a light game to pass the time, Prison Architect might not be for you. Personally, I had a blast playing the game, and I certainly recommend it. I've heard some users complain about bugs, but personally I had no issues playing the game. So, if you don't find the theme disagreeable and want to play one of the most complex—but still accessible—management games on iOS, go grab Prison Architect.

As I dug deeper into my Unicorn Overlord playthroughs across Switch and PS5, it hit me that Vanillaware is like the Australian band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard who keep exploring different genres with each new album and maintaining the quality. It might be too soon to say if Unicorn Overlord is my favorite strategy RPG, but I can confidently say that it and Balatro are the best Nintendo Switch games of 2024 so far.

This is a flawless version of an incredible game, and my animal-faced hat is off to the people at Capcom for putting this together.

As unusual as the first game was in its time, this sequel is an even rarer jewel. It adheres doggedly to what was established in the first game, increasing the depth with new mechanics and variables without stepping too far away from what worked. It’s also absolutely massive, with a full RPG’s worth of story to play through. If you’re looking for a great premium game to pick away at without worrying about gacha pulls, subscriptions, or buying bags of gems, give Hero Emblems II a go. It’s worth it.

Ultimately, the occasional frustration within Linelight is born out of its uncompromising dedication to its core principles, which is a necessary evil considering how effective the execution the game's concept is. With audio and graphical excellence throughout, both of which are intrinsically linked, Linelight ends up being far more than the sum of its parts, all the while not sacrificing its entertaining puzzle gameplay for some greater sanctimonious goal. Through being a game that embraces accessibility at its very core, Linelight becomes a game that anyone can play, and everyone should play.

A rock-solid pseudo-port that plays extremely well on mobile and displays a measure of technical and mechanical grace none of us expected it to. Oh, and it's Universal and supports iCloud saves across devices -- icing on the cake, folks.

Play Hidden Folks. It's just so charming and fun to tap around in this world that feels alive. It's such a simple idea at its core of being a hidden object game, yes. But the artwork, sound design, and the realization of the ambition to create puzzles where you have to find specific folks in the middle of busy, bustling scenes, are all at their peak. Check this game out.

There's a lot more to Dodonpachi too, like the absolute spot-on relative control system, the excellent brand new music for the iPhone mode, many OpenFeint achievements to unlock, multiple options and difficulty levels, hidden modes, and more. But the bottom line is that if you're a fan of shooters in any way, you'll want to pick up Dodonpachi Resurrection.

Miracle Merchant is quick and easy to play one-handed, which makes it perfect for those short gaming sessions while out and about. It's also a great deal of fun and just the right level of challenge to engage but not frustrate. The art is also worth mentioning, the various characters and chemical concoctions are bright and attractive and add to the enjoyment of the game. If you're a fan of card games on your iPhone I strongly recommend picking this one up.

This may well be Digital Eclipse’s finest collection yet, and is a must-have for any fans of beat-em-ups, the Turtles, or general gaming history.

The game strikes a perfect balance between being casual enough to just idly pick up and play, but requiring enough thought and strategy to remain compelling. Its modes have enough intrinsic motivation to drive you to keep going. Definitely give Pocket Run Pool a download, and see if you get hooked as I am. Send help.