From the visual wit of the short cartoons to the clever moving puzzles themselves, the entire experience is just pure delight. And, I suppose, if you’ve got a few kids running around it’ll be nice for them, too.

If you’ve been looking to drop a little spell crafting, enemy-splatting charm onto your iPad, look no further than Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet.

Simply put, if you enjoyed Glyph Quest but found there wasn't enough substance to satisfy, you're going to love Super Glyph Quest.

If the original game completely turned you off, Octopath Traveler II obviously isn’t going to change your mind. But if you felt there was something to its concept but found its execution a little lacking, I think you’ll find this sequel much better. Those who loved the first game aren’t likely to find anything to complain about here, as it’s smart enough to retain what worked in the original. A safe follow-up and very confident RPG overall, but not one so over-confident as to ignore areas to improve upon. A few nasty difficulty spikes are the only real gum in the works, but it’s still an essential pick-up for RPG lovers.

If you enjoy music, art, or just want to make your own music with a lovely little game, ODDADA is for you. In its current state, ODDADA doesn’t have controller support, but it plays perfectly with touch controls on Steam Deck. The team is working on getting it Steam Deck Verified so keep that in mind if you plan on purchasing it now or later.

In the same way Electroplankton offered the DS a totally unique game-like way to relax, create, and experiment with music, Melodive is a must-have when you want to mellow out, or tickle your brain.

OPUS: Echo of Starsong is an essential for iOS owners. I already thought it was underpriced on consoles and PC given the quality of the game, but the iOS version is an even better deal with it costing less than half. This is Sigono’s best work and I can’t wait to see what the studio releases next. I just hope iOS and Switch owners will not be waiting too long for Sigono’s next game. OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a game you need to experience if you enjoy memorable stories, well written characters, and excellent music. Having done nearly three full playthroughs across platforms, I still can’t get over how good OPUS: Echo of Starsong is.

If you enjoy logic puzzles, you’ll likely find Sokobond Express to be a treat. It has a nice, simple presentation that makes all of its elements clear at a glance, chill music to listen to as you mull things over, a solid difficulty curve that eases you into the boiling pot, and has some educational value to boot. As path-finding puzzlers go, Sokobond Express is a superb example.

Even if there is no big secret reward, the enjoyment of this fantastic game is reward enough.

I'm thoroughly enjoying Lettercraft. It's fresh and fun. I don't see it being a hit for its multiplayer aspect, but as a single-player word game it's a lovely experience.

Controls aside, Sine Mora is an excellent shooter, a great port, and just an overall fun game to play. The story and presentation rock, the mechanics are sound, and the game's supplemental Arcade, Score Attack, and Boss Training modes offer a wealth of replayability beyond the fascinating story mode. If you have even the slightest interest in a shooter, Sine Mora needs to be checked out.

I may have my nits to pick with Monster Hunter Stories, but the game is certainly quite a good JRPG all-around. It ranks fairly high even among the impressive JRPG library of the Nintendo 3DS, so in the increasingly dry traditional JRPG landscape that is today’s mobile gaming market, it’s a real blessing. It’s not as good as a mainline Pokemon release, nor will it keep you playing as long as a mainline Monster Hunter game, but I suspect fans of either looking for something to play on their phones or tablets won’t be unhappy with Monster Hunter Stories.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the best game in the series yet, and despite a few issues like burying the player in tutorials and some story bits that could have been handled better, the game is a real treat for RPG fans. There’s more to do and more reasons to do it, and whether you’re coming off one or both of the previous games or jumping in fresh, you’ll find a suitably epic adventure waiting for you.

Each mission has a set of 3 objectives, and eventually 3 more will open up under a higher difficulty. After a few hours of gameplay, a third difficulty unlocks and you will find yourself going back to earlier levels and experiencing them in a completely different context. The game has a really solid flow to it. Unlocking upgrades and purchasing them feels very rewarding and will allow you to complete missions that you thought were previously very tough or even impossible. While the story of JYDGE is barebones outside of its justice related puns and won't be confused for a gamebook any time soon, it's really the run and gun gameplay placed perfectly in a fleshed out atmosphere that will keep you hooked on this twin-stick delight.

The unlimited lives option is great, as it's still a challenge to complete the levels, but you can keep re-trying and your weapon power-up's don't reset when you die.

It says a lot about Brew Town that you don't even necessarily need to be a beer lover or know your pilsner from your porter to appreciate it, because it's well-constructed almost the entire way through and manages to blend simple game mechanics, an inviting atmosphere and a dash of artistic creativity to concoct something that all kinds of gamers can get into.

Overall, Episode 3 definitely redeemed Telltale and the series and helped erase the sourness left over by the pretty-bland Episode 2.

Warhammer Quest, while being an excellent port of a classic board game, is actually an amazing dungeon crawler on iOS, no matter what your experience with the source material. You owe it to yourself to check out this excellent hack and slash experience.

Warhammer 40K: Deathwatch is a gorgeous game with strong design backing it. The campaign is big and meaty, and it presents a fun challenge that will test your tactical skills.

If you haven't picked this game up, and you can stomach some bad dice results, it's time you rolled into this one full speed.

A complete package, brought together by Gage's trademark use of cheerful colors, simple patterns and elegant typography.

There’s really nothing else out there that is quite like Valkyrie Profile, and that’s as true today as it ever was. It’s both the game’s most compelling quality and the most frequently-cited reason people are turned off by it. You’ve got platforming, some unique RPG-style battles, and resource management all wrapped up with some astounding spritework, a stunning soundtrack, and a genuinely fresh story.

This is a classic arcade-style sports game that is more about fun than about simulation and accuracy.

I'll admit I'm predisposed towards the theme due to my personal interests in comic books, old spy movies, and taking over the world with my army of mindless shark-mummies, but even setting that aside, Diabolical is a wonderfully entertaining piece of interactive fiction. It gives the player a lot of flexibility, has a great sense of humor, and even manages to tell an interesting, if absurd, story along the way.

The game is an absolute joy to play, with even better visuals and more of the incredibly smooth gameplay fans of the series have come to expect from Zepto Lab.

There's always been something satisfying about match-3 mechanics, but after enough years playing them over and over they're bound to start feeling stale. Pixel Defenders Puzzle steps beyond that by taking something from a game that was already an excellent evolution of the genre and moving it forward to another, even-more satisfying level.

Personally, I think this is the game where the series really started to show its ambitions and break away from most of the pack. It’s excellent, and fans of the series would do well to check out this treasure.

If you have a new iPad, this is clearly one of THE games to get, as its boasting some of the best 3D, high resolution visuals at the moment. If you dig explode-y things and moving really fast, you'll probably want to give this a look, too. Smart design bolsters both of these aspects. Check it out.