It's hard to shake the feeling the game is missing something - it's a well-executed genre game, but it lacks character. It's not going to fundamentally change what we expect from the genre, it's not going to shift mountains or alter the collective consciousness, but it will give tower defense nuts a deep and nicely packaged experience– And really, what more can you ask for?

Of course, Bobbing isn't for everyone—you need to have the patience and mild masochism that constant failure and repetition requires—but if you can dig its viciousness, don't be surprised if you start forgetting to put it down for less important stuff, like breaks. And meals.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think Hello Kitty Island Adventure is one of my favorite mobile games of this year so far. It’s so much more than I expected it to be, so much more than it needed to be, and I genuinely appreciate just how compelling it is from head to toe. I’ve been vocal amongst my peers about how Apple Arcade needs more reasons to subscribe these days. Well, here’s one extremely good reason. Butters was right the whole time.

Mortal Kombat 1 is an excellent fighting game that managed to surpass Mortal Kombat 11 in almost every way, but I’d avoid getting it on Steam Deck unless you’re ok with 30fps gameplay. The game itself has smart improvements over the prior entry, and the story mode might be NetherRealm’s best one yet, but the online feels dated right now. Having now played it on Steam Deck, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch, I’d recommend getting it on Xbox Series X for sure, but avoiding it on Switch. The Steam Deck version is Verified by Valve, but I don’t think it is worthy of that badge right now. I’ll be revisiting it after a few updates, but my recommendation for the game on Steam Deck has a big 30fps caveat right now.

But by and large, everything plays quite well. The game also looks good, with a nicely designed vault-cracking theme for each puzzle - although I'm not quite sure how the zen garden stylings of the Sudoko-like puzzles relate to cracking vaults.

You probably won't want to set down roots in Twisty Hollow, but it's a heck of a good place to visit for an afternoon.

While some may complain about the lack of significant improvements, I'm willing to be satisfied with the fact that Gameloft has taken a successful series and preserved the single player campaign with small changes and improvements to an otherwise well-done formula.

You may get the sense that Little Inferno walks a fine line between satirizing our gaming habits and revelling in them. If you take it lightly, it works. Give it serious thought and you might find a bit of hypocrisy buried between the lines, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a game that sticks with you.

I get something new and different from playing Time Surfer, a rush that proves there was untapped potential in the formula. The game is vicious, it's ridiculous, and it looks like something that came off a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper.

How it made me feel more like the protagonist than most other games, simply by having me fill in the words the Department decided should not be spoken...

The difficulty curve in this game has been done very well, with a proper ramp up to some seriously challenging set-ups. The appeal is narrow, to be sure, but its laser-focus will almost certainly please puzzle fans of a particular sort.

What makes Lunistice work is just how spot on the controls are. The gameplay here is very tight, which makes the platforming fun no matter how tough it gets. The stages can get a little long for my liking, but I appreciate how thoughtfully they are designed. You can find some very clever shortcuts if you keep your eyes open and have the guts to try. It’s not the lengthiest of games, but it’s a lot more substantial than most lower-cost 3D platformers on the Switch. If you like the genre, pick it up.

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.

This Switch version of the game is a good way to experience it. While I greatly enjoyed the PlayStation Vita port, it suffered from a lot of framerate issues that the Switch version has a better time with. While it’s important to keep in mind that this is a relatively low-budget game from 2006, I think its presentation holds up nicely. Ys Origin isn’t my favorite Ys game, but it’s a very good one and I think its distinct flavor when compared to Ys VIII makes it a great pick-up for Switch owners who want something a little lighter to occupy their time with.

I'm not usually a big fan of tilt-only games, but Air Penguin definitely does it right. The tilting is extremely accurate, so it makes completing acrobatic leaps of faith a joy rather than frustrating.

The game feels slower than it should. Each time you open the app you have to wait for your games to update, and then you have wait to load your game.

Pinball Arcade is simply one of the best pinball games I've ever played, and should be put at the top of the class with other iOS pinball elites.

The simplicity of Shoot The Zombirds is definitely key in making it such an appealing pick-up-and-play title.

What makes Wave Wave special is its ability to remain mechanically simply yet ultimately engaging through challenging the player’s physical abilities to react and respond. It’s a game which philosophies rest on player skill, and test that skill to the point of breaking you or making you better.

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

Sling Kong's core mechanic is fun because slinging feels good, and Protostar puts in all the work they can into their games to make them look and feel as good as possible.

Afterpulse is yet another example of a mobile game that strips away all the fluffy extras and instead focuses on delivering a tight, fun experience that's perfect for on-the-go gaming. Unfortunately, it sometimes feels a bit too focused, as it really could do with one or two other gameplay types beyond simple deathmatches.

If you want a great one-handed mobile platformer that will test you, check out Blitz Breaker.

Being left wanting more isn’t necessarily a bad thing, after all; it means that I truly enjoyed and felt a connection to the themes of lucid dreaming, depression, and connection to others. The loving attention to detail in each setting did nothing but enhance the experience. I was absolutely right to trust my instinct, as Radiant One is a game not to be missed.

Outer Wilds on Switch isn’t remotely the best version of the game, but the fact that it didn’t give me motion sickness like the Xbox One version is enough of an achievement. If you have access to an Xbox Series X, PS5, PC, or Steam Deck I’d play Outer Wilds there, but the long wait for this port has been worth it in many ways. It needs more optimization in parts despite the cutbacks to visuals, but Outer Wilds is an incredible experience that isn’t lost when played on Switch in handheld mode. I just hope the performance issues can be ironed out by the time the physical release is available.

Funky Smugglers is a stylish game that's a lot of fun to play, and absolutely miserable to compete in. If that doesn't concern you, you'll be in great hands.

For those who enjoy arcade-style games, and I'm talking original Mario Bros. style, Woah Dave is a must, it's a great game to sink a lot of time into again and again.

On the whole, Arcade Paradise is a fine game. If you like the premise, I suspect you will like the game a lot. It has a few flaws but nothing that really hurts the core appeal of the game, and I always find these sorts of “retro games that weren’t" affairs to be fascinating. It also does a great job of nailing its 1990s setting, with lots of little details that help pull you into its world. A unique, enjoyable sim that is very difficult to put down.