The game may have its flaws, but Gameloft has done a great job in making what could have been a quick and dirty port into a legitimately fun piece of software.

As much as I want to give Aka to Blue my highest recommendation, online leaderboards are a major feature for score attack games and they really ought to have been included here. That may not matter to some of you, of course, and if that's you, then you can feel free to jump in head-first. Even if you do care about leaderboards, Aka to Blue is good enough in every other respect that anyone who enjoys a good shoot-em-up needs to pick this up. I find it amazing that the former Cave staff could slide so seemingly effortlessly into producing Cave-quality shooters, and I greatly look forward to whatever they're working on next.

Monomals is one of the most polished games available on the service. So, while a music-fishing platformer might not sound like everyone’s cup of tea, it’s certainly one worth trying out.

It’s over-the-top, flashy, colorful, and fun as heck. It’s easily one of the best fighters on the Nintendo Switch now, and thanks to its crossplay feature and general popularity in the fighting community, it offers a lively online experience on top of a solid local foundation. Go go, Power Rangers.

As with the first game, once you've spent your two bucks, you've got the whole game. There are no IAPs, no premium currencies, and no timers. Just you, a huge dungeon, and a whole lot of death. Grab your knife and fork and dig in.

Great touch controls, fast action, amazing AI, intelligent level design, and an overall simplicity are all the reasons Trigger Fist has caused such a lapse in my productivity as of late.

Super Sharp is a superb puzzler that really nails the difficulty curve, gently introducing new ideas and getting you to think in different ways over and over. It can be a tiny bit frustrating later on, but the vast majority of the levels are perfectly solvable if you just stop and think a bit.

Monster Adventures is a great action-RPG that you simply need to check out.

Arranger isn't one of those things you should play if you like adventure games, or music game, it's one you should play if you like games, period, and the interesting things they can achieve.

Momonga's Pinball Adventures is already a winner. In part for its impressive look, certainly, but the charm and challenge of the game are a big part of what makes it so loveable.

If you've enjoyed any of Brough's other works, or simply want an easy to pick up, moderately deep strategy game, Imbroglio is an easy recommendation.

Foursaken's Heroes and Castles does a great job of not only successfully melding third-person combat with tower/castle defense, but also creating a game with a great deal of replaybility via its heroes, upgrade system and online multiplay.

So while there are frustrations and a handful of small bugs, they're blips in a solid eight hours of entertainment.

For those who like lovely things, for those who like music generation games, for those who like flyers, Lucky Frame has made something special.

If you enjoy touching stories and adventure games with a focus on characters and introspection, you will love Refind Self: The Personality Test Game. I think many folks will skip it thinking it is one of those throwaway test-style games, but I ended up enjoying my time with it a lot across iOS and Steam Deck. I can’t wait to see what Lizardry does next, and look forward to seeing results from more people when they play Refind Self: The Personality Test Game.

If you’re looking for a different sort of shooter, or perhaps one that has some similarities to Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun has a lot to offer. It’s rare to see it rereleased, and the SEGA Saturn game infamously goes for a ridiculous sum, so having the experience available on Switch for such a reasonable price is great. The game plays well, but a few issues with the music and graphics could do with some ironing out. It’s perhaps a little too complicated for its own good at times, but give it your time and consideration and you’ll find it rewards you greatly.

The fact that The Witness can bring out such extreme emotions of both exasperation and astonishment is undoubtedly an achievement in itself. So many modern puzzle games strive to be as inoffensive and straightforward as possible, in an attempt to be accessible to a large and increasingly impatient audience of potential buyers - The Witness boldly shuns such expectations to simply do its own thing. As a result, The Witness can be relentlessly unwelcoming, but also invites and rewards intrigue, as paradoxical as that may seem. Similarly, The Witness is an essential experience for any enthusiastic gamer (especially at a bargain price of $9.99), although can occasionally feel like an ostentatious chore that is more hopelessly unaware than socially insightful. However, amidst its many annoyances lies a technologically impressive milestone of the modern gaming industry, arguably in its best form yet.

Yaga, overall, was a really enjoyable experience for me and there were few hiccups at all. I found it both challenging and rewarding, with a storyline that kept me interested and combat that felt fluid and fun. The replayability and different endings you can obtain help it even further to be a game you’ll likely want to play through at least twice to see just how much the world can change.

If you were in love with the speedrunning elements in the previous Mikey games, I could see Mikey Jumps being a bit underwhelming for you. It's also fair to point out that Mikey's got a lot of miles behind him at this point, so some players might be over his particular brand of entertainment. But I think if you approach Mikey Jumps with a clear mind and leveled expectations, you'll find a really fun, cleverly-designed platformer with some brilliant level designs and rock-solid controls.

In some ways Shattered Lands feels less like a sequel and more like a fulfillment of the promise behind the first game, like this is what Red Winter wanted to make all along.

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.

When I first discovered Wingspan, I wasn’t sure it would click with me but wanted to check it out for its art. Having now played it over the last two weeks almost daily, it is a superlative experience on iPad and a very good one on iPhone. The asking price being half of what it costs on console also helps given how good this feels on a touchscreen. The lack of cross platform progression and iCloud save sync are the biggest downsides here. Barring those issues, Wingspan looks gorgeous and it is one of the most relaxing games you can play right now on iOS.

While Gasketball may stumble with some of its level design, it's a stunningly fresh game that actually shares something original. It's a game with a vision, and all of its constituent parts come together into a cohesive, groovy whole.

This not your average, micro-stage mobile game. Thankfully, only a handful of stages made me wish there were checkpoints.

At the very least, it’s the best monster catching game released this week. Gotta collect ‘em all!

Melatonin from Half Asleep was only released a few weeks ago, and it is already one of my favorite rhythm games on Nintendo Switch. Just like Gal Metal a few years ago, Melatonin excels in its simplicity while being quite challenging. This coupled with the gorgeous visuals and excellent music makes Melatonin an easy recommendation for fans of Rhythm Heaven and those looking for a challenging new music-focused game.

While video poker handheld machines have been around for decades (I had one myself as a kid), Politaire is pretty much the perfect way to pass the time if you're looking for a solo card game. It's also much more convenient than setting up a deck yourself, and you get some snazzy visuals while you're playing it.

It may be be acting as a prelude to the bigger Hellraid game but The Escape holds its own very well and is highly recommended.