The advanced control requires a good bit of practice to get it right, but should eventually be your control of choice.

Overall there was enough fun to be had that I kept overlooking the small frustrations to log back in. There’s a lot that’s right with Shadowgun Legends but it’s built on lackluster mechanics that never truly feels like a satisfying or well-built FPS.

The art style is bright and happy, the music suitably atmospheric. Characters are cute and reasonably well-rendered.

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.

While a few aspects of Buckshot Roulette won’t work for some like the art style, I loved the game, and my main complaint is the lack of Steam Cloud support right now. It plays and looks great on Steam Deck from start to finish and is an easy recommendation at its low asking price. I’m glad I didn’t look into it before playing, because Buckshot Roulette has been one of the nicest surprises of 2024 so far on Steam Deck. I look forward to checking out the multiplayer and console ports later this year.

This is one of the few iOS titles that really does not skimp on any of the features that make RTS games exciting. When you add in the beautiful visuals and multiplayer, it's a no brainer that anyone with even a remote interest in strategy games needs to pick up.

Bug Princess 2 shares a ton in common with the original Bug Princess, but thanks to some key differences in scoring and completely new stages it really stands out on its own. And like Bug Princess it's also not overly complex like some later Cave titles, so for shooter newbies it remains a strong entry point to the genre.

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.

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.

Dragon Quest Builders on Steam Deck is the definitive version by far offering all content at a lower price than other platforms while delivering solid performance. The wait for Dragon Quest Builders on Steam was long, and I didn’t think it would happen after Dragon Quest Builders 2 shipped, but Square Enix put a lot of effort into this port to make it feel great to play on Steam Deck. If you held off on the original or want to play my favorite Dragon Quest spin-off series, your wait has been worth it. Dragon Quest Builders is excellent on PC and a joy to play on Steam Deck.

I seriously couldn't be happier. Witching Hour's maiden project Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion is almost everything this iPhone-touting strategy game aficionado could ask for, and as long as you're a fan of its somewhat hardcore nature, I will eat my fuzzy hat if you don't find yourself thinking the same.

Like Crossbell itself, Trails from Zero is caught between two large powers: the humble Sky series that got this whole ball rolling, and the Cold Steel games that are perhaps a bit too drunk on excess. It’s a great RPG, and one that nicely demonstrates what makes this series so well-loved.

Like Capcom's courtroom drama, Devil's Attorney is an addictive puzzler whose courtroom metaphor for battle makes for one of the most unique and absorbing games you'll find on mobile or any other platform.

If you enjoy Bethesda Game Studios' games, and more importantly love exploration and space, I think you should prepare to experience your new obsession with Starfield. I'm looking forward to spending more time with it, and seeing how it improves over time on both Steam Deck and Xbox Series X. [Review in Progress]

If you enjoy the likes of Ace Attorney, Paranormasight is an easy recommendation. I’m not a big horror guy, but it was good enough for me to see through to the end. It plays really nicely on the Switch, and I really appreciate the inclusion of touch controls. Just be aware that the game does like to whip out the occasional jump scare, so if you’re the sort that throws whatever is in your hands when you get startled, keep a pillow near by. Your Switch will thank you, both for sparing its life and playing this slick game on it. More like this please, Square Enix.

The world of Penumbear might not be one you'd want to explore on your own, dark as it is. Navigating a friendly little bear through, on the other hand? Well, that works quite well.

If you've got an appetite for unusual games, have good reflexes, and a keen ability to assess patterns quickly, Million Onion Hotel was made just for you. If you don't? Well, you'll probably have a good time with it anyway. It can be really confusing at times, but usually in a good way. As iOS gamers, we're fortunate enough to have a wealth of stylish puzzle games with personality to burn, but I can promise you that none of them are as adorably eccentric as this onion-plucking pleasure cruise.

Squeenix could've very easily released Arkanoid vs Space Invaders as a freemium game, loaded with ads and coins to buy. They likely would've made tons more money too. Arkanoid vs Space Invaders is a fantastic refresher of what arcade style iOS games used to be like it, and I'm more than happy to celebrate that.

Isles of Sea and Sky is a superb puzzle game that is absolutely worth your time. It also feels right at home on Steam Deck, and manages to stand out with its gorgeous art, puzzles, open world, and blend of ideas. If you enjoy puzzle games, stop what you’re doing and get this now.

The course design changes enough that you'll likely never get bored and the puzzling aspects make for an entertaining experience -- it's just too bad the golf part of it seems to be getting in the way of what has always made Worms interesting -- screwing around and aimlessly taking the chaotic approach.

I had a real blast playing through qomp2. It puts a very clever spin on the usual precision platformer concept, and executes it almost flawlessly. It can be immensely frustrating, and there are a few gimmicks I didn’t enjoy that much, but overall I think this is an excellent game. I like how it makes use of a certain Atari-ness without fully leaning into it, allowing it to be its own thing while still feeling like an Atari game. This is a game I would highly recommend to those who enjoy a strong challenge, and it’s the kind of thing I’d like to see more of from Atari’s original titles.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess feels like a PS2 game built for modern consoles in the best possible ways. It has a few rough edges, and two bosses annoyed me, but I adore everything else about Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. It runs well on Steam Deck, has excellent music, a gorgeous aesthetic, and was structured so I kept dipping in and out of it for an hour a day since getting review codes. The structure suits portable play as well, and despite loving how it looks on PS5 and Xbox Series X, I found myself happiest with Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess on Steam Deck.

That type of versatility and richness speaks to the strength of the core ideas behind Badland. In a marketplace lousy with them, Badland is a well-considered and well-executed physics-based puzzle-platformer, tetchy controls notwithstanding.

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

It's nice to see Om Nom finally freed from the boxes, and the professor has the potential to add a bit more storyline to the series. But if you're looking for something that changes up the formula, significantly expands on the original or otherwise feels brand new, you won't find it here.

AirStrike Defense is definitely worth a look if you've enjoyed line drawing games in the past, and want something a little more involved than Flight Control and similar spinoffs.

Achievement hunters and competitive types will also be glad to know that Giana Sisters comes packaged with OpenFeint support for both achievements and leaderboards.

But, really, what makes the game so well suited for the iPhone is its casual nature as compared to the typical roguelike. And that's not to say the game is shallow or light on dungeon crawling action, but rather we feel it's simply a bit more accessible to the typical gamer than, say, Nethack, Moria, or Rogue thanks to an economy of controls, spells, and the like.