Older console ports have had a tendency to not transition well to iOS, but Indigo Prophecy is thankfully one of the rare exceptions.

For just a dollar, Worm Run almost sells itself. Its lightning-on-ice movement speed and motivation to keep on trucking in the form of a gigantic carnivorous beast make for a nice alternative to the droves of autopilot runners available on the App Store.

In the end, you’re crazy not to pick this up if you enjoy adventure games. But you probably won’t enjoy this game as much if you don’t like stuff like Dark Souls and Dark Seed, the latter of which was another point and click adventure based on H.R. Giger’s art.

I highly recommend Her Story, even for its slight imperfections.

While the levels are perhaps a little too long for their own good at times, Dan the Man is a surprisingly solid and charming action game.

Crying Suns is an easy recommendation for those looking to experience tactical gameplay with a extra helping of dark scifi frosting and a glaze of mystery.

It’s a platformer that knows exactly what platform it’s on, and rolls with it.

I like that Nightgate is mostly an accessible game that can be completed with a bit of perseverance and elbow grease, but I'd love to see the concepts taken to their extremes in some future content, if any is coming.

The Sequence is a rather unassuming game overall, but I came away pleasantly surprised. If you're a fan of SpaceChem or other similar apps, this one is worth checking out.

Barring some minor hiccups in performance, Trombone Champ is a true champ on Switch. It perfectly suits the system and the multiple control options, and is a joy to play. I know this year has been great for quality game releases, but if you own a Switch and want to try something interesting when it comes to music games, Trombone Champ is exactly what you need. I hope we get some Nintendo collaboration songs in the future as DLC.

Mekorama might not wow you from minute-one with incredible visuals, but once you start getting addicted to the QR creation aspect, you may not be able to put it down or a while.

The truck controls well, the physics respond well, and the level design has that right mix of snappiness and intrigue.

This is still a must buy game for any strategy fans. It’s been compared favorably to Warbits, with people citing the story mode as more interesting and engaging.

I’ll admit that it’s unique style of puzzle presentation means it’s not necessarily for all players, but it’s a sure-fire recommendation for everyone else.

Needless to say, I’m quite excited by SHI•RO, both as it is and as it can be after the following two parts are launched.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals on mobile is my favorite way to play it. Not only did Night School do a great port that feels perfect on iPad, but it also looks and runs nicer than the Switch version. Having now played Oxenfree II: Lost Signals on Steam Deck, iPhone, iPad Pro, and Nintendo Switch, Night School and Netflix exceeded my expectations, and I hope it gets a physical release so I can add it to my Nintendo Switch collection alongside the physical release of the first game. This is Netflix’s best original addition to its games subscription since Poinpy, and one of my favorite mobile games of 2023.

Having played Unpacking on Nintendo Switch, PC, and Xbox before the iOS version, it is hard to find fault with the latter barring the lack of iCloud save support. The asking price being half of other platforms and such an excellent conversion definitely makes it an easier recommendation. I already loved the storytelling, relaxing gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and soundtrack in Unpacking, but it has found a new home on iOS and shines on the plattform. I hope the developers can add a higher frame rate option, but I have nothing bad to say about Unpacking barring that. If you held off on the PC and console versions, Unpacking is essential on iPad.

There’s a very good chance you’re not looking for another zombie game for your phone or tablet, now or perhaps ever. But Infectonator 3: Apocalypse is good enough for you to cast aside your many preconceived notions and give it a shot, because trying to end humanity is actually a lot more fun than you might think.

With no need to spend any money, Leap Day is the perfect pickup for people who want to find a new platformer to warn them by the fire. Some levels are randomly better than others, but tomorrow is always another day.

Ultimately, if you're looking for strong gameplay hooks and replayability, Pulse:Volume One won't hit those notes for you. But if you're interested in elegant rhythm gameplay and an immersive audio-visual experience, you'll find lots to enjoy.

Mentally challenging and hugely engaging, TwoDots will definitely interest fans of the original.

While I highly recommend DropMix as an awesome game to experience, it comes with some caveats. First, this is a party game first and foremost so if you don’t have at least one other person to play with, there will be a lot of enjoyment left on the table. Second, the amount of tracks the base game comes with is a bit low, and currently expansion packs are really hard to come by. There’s also the fact that with a large amount of genres represented, there’s a fairly good chance you’ll have a lot of cards with tracks that you just don’t know or care for. On this last point, however, I implore you to give the game a chance: that track you play from a song you may not care for might work really well with whatever other Frankenstein mix you’re making.

Playing through McPixel 3 feels like grabbing an issue of MAD Magazine because I never knew what to expect when I went ahead in my initial playthrough. McPixel 3 on iOS is essential, but it will absolutely feel like poop if the humor doesn’t click with you. I loved McPixel and McPixel 3 is everything I wanted in a sequel and more. The wait for it on mobile has been long, but even in my third playthrough, McPixel 3 is just superb, and it will make you forget all about McPixel 2 which doesn’t exist so don’t worry.

Cocoon is brilliant. I genuinely cannot believe how much I enjoyed it, and somehow ended up liking it more than Limbo and Inside. If you have even the smallest interest in the game, I recommend not reading or watching anything and just giving it a chance. We may be near the end of the year, but this is another Game of the Year contender.

I imagine most folks will fall into two camps when it comes to Alto’s Adventure. The first will appreciate the sheer amount of artistic integrity and nuanced visual effects that the title employs and will play it just to experience those aspects. The second will largely ignore those aspects and see the game as yet another side-scrolling endless runner with pretty standard mechanics.

It's better served as an exceptional entertainment experience rather than an exceptional game.

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.

If Found… is yet another winner from Annapurna Interactive. Dreamfeel’s story is important, touching, and brilliant. If you enjoy interactive visual novels with excellent stories, great music, and gorgeous visuals, If Found… is for you. It doesn’t overstay its welcome like many visual novels and the two to three hours you put in will just fly by. I can’t wait to see what Dreamfeel does next because this is top notch stuff.