After both This Way Madness Lies and Cosmic Star Heroine ended up being so good, I think Zeboyd Games’ potential next turn-based RPG will be near the top of my anticipated games list. If you enjoy magical girls, JRPGs, and Shakespeare and want a game that doesn’t waste your time, This Way Madness Lies is an easy recommendation. Its low asking price definitely helps, and I think it does a few things better than Cosmic Star Heroine, though that remains my favorite release from the developer.

Fans of twin-stick roguelites would do well to give Starward Rogue some of their time. The gameplay mechanics are sound, the challenge is right where it should be, and the sheer variety that springs from the many items, rooms, and enemies is impressive. While the visuals are a bit lacking when it comes to the small touches, the action itself is so good you won’t often notice that. An excellent game overall, and I’m glad publisher Klabater brought it to the Nintendo Switch.

Stickets is the first commercial iOS release from Wanderlands, and it's by far their best, although I highly recommend checking out their free browser games, Midas and Impasse. There's Game Center support, no IAP, and the developers have promised updates with new puzzles and themes.

Colt Express is a great port of a fun game, and it's one that's very easy to recommend both to those who enjoy board games and to mobile gamers in general. The art is fantastic, the gameplay mechanics work great, and there's plenty of content to keep you playing the game for a long time to come.

Ghostrunner 2 ended up surprising me. While I wasn’t too pleased with the opening levels initially, it ended up hooking me quite a bit throughout, and I love how it feels on Steam Deck. This will likely be the only portable version of the game for a long time now, so I’m glad the team at One More Level made it such a great experience on both Steam Deck and PS5.

Epic Little War Game retains the superb balance between complexity and accessibility that made the series such a hit to begin with. Whether you're new to the genre or a veteran, you'll find something to like in this game. It's probably not going to change your mind if you don't like this genre, but anyone who does have an interest really ought to check this one out. It's over-stuffed with content and polished shinier than the General's boots.

Mini Motorways isn’t as revelatory as Mini Metro was, but it’s just as easy to get completely and utterly absorbed with. It’s a bit better for players on the go as building the roads can be a little fussy with the button controls, but I think however you play it you’ll have a really good time with its tense, challenging puzzle gameplay. As the game has been out for a few years now on other platforms, there’s already a plethora of content to enjoy in this Switch version, and if Mini Metro is any indicator there will likely be more on the way. A fantastic pick-up for puzzle fans or those who enjoy being stressed in a good way.

With responsive controls and a uniquely programmed set of AI cars to navigate, this one will keep you busy for a while.

Barring one annoying control issue I ran into on Steam Deck, Little Goody Two Shoes is a superb experience, and really timed perfectly given the season. The trailer and screenshots make it look great, but it really is on a whole other level in person on a good display. Not only does it have great art, voice acting, and music, but it also feels like the best modern take on an older-style horror adventure game. This is a game that deserves your time even in this busy release season.

I suspect most will find The Enchanted Cave 2 to be just the right mix of sugar and spice to keep them happy through all 100 levels, and potentially beyond.

Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery: Episode 1 – A Bump in the Night is, at its core, a simple game with a mix of challenging and dastardly puzzles thrown in that will be enjoyable for both adults and kids.

A challenging title, and it's one that requires players to commit to an unusual control scheme.

Succeeds in making this brilliant arcade formula seem fresh and new once again. And that's a truly impressive feat.

Ultimately, I’m left with mixed feelings about Bayonetta 3. Not seriously mixed. It’s still a great game, among the best in its category, and I’ve rated it accordingly. But there are choices made here, both in terms of the narrative and the overall design, that I think could have gone another way and made for an even better game. There’s also no question that the performance issues are disappointing in a genre where split-second timing is so crucial. Bayonetta 3 carries the ball for the series well enough, even if it ends up being the weakest of the trilogy.

Hero of Many is meditative and unique. An enthralling experience that is, rather than acting as a fun distraction, a game you can lose yourself and invest in. An artistic achievement some may find lacking in gameplay, but I truly wish the App Store held more titles like this.

All in all, Ordia is a hell of a game. It’s absolutely gorgeous, the animations are buttery smooth, and the sound effects and haptic feedback are incredibly satisfying. So satisfying, in fact, that if you aren’t actively paying attention, you don’t even notice them. It sounds counterintuitive, but you don’t want your sound effects to shout too loudly or they’ll become distracting. Apple was right––it’s a great game, and well worth the time invested. Everyone, but particularly one-handed gamers, fans of finger-flinging fun, connoisseurs of minimalism, or folks looking for a solid offline portrait game, should give it a shot.

Inkulinati is a very interesting and challenging game at higher difficulties that asks a lot from the player, but those who put in the effort will enjoy the depth and replay value here. The medieval manuscript aesthetic is gorgeous and I ended up loving the blend of roguelite and turn-based strategy gameplay after spending time with the tutorial. If you do plan on getting Inkulinati don’t skip the lengthy tutorial available. I’m glad it finally hit consoles and also has a great Switch port now.

Happy Game is an essential for fans of Amanita Design’s games as long as you’re ok with disturbing and creepy images and characters. It has all the polish of the developer’s prior releases, but a completely new style that showcases how talented the developer is. Even with its short runtime, I have no regrets recommending Happy Game to any fans of horror and puzzle games who are up for trying something different.

The game still plays and feels like it always has, but now it looks fantastic in high resolution on the iPad and Retina Display devices.

I’m a huge fan of rhythm games, so any title that can manage to get the gameplay right is worth a playthrough in my book. However, Deemo is so much more than that. The game’s art style and subtle story meld together beautifully to create an overall presentation that simply works. When you combine this with the superb song selection there’s very little to not love.

If you are looking for a board game designed for two players that feels strategic but tries out some fresh ideas, Patchwork delivers a replayable experience that weaves a great theme with solid mechanics.

You might say that 7 dollars is a lot for an app lacking multiplayer, but it is cheaper than the actual board game, so if you already have an iPhone or iPad (Why are you even on this site if you don’t? You silly Billy) it’s definitely worth it. If you are new to deck builders entirely, I’d try some of the free ones or cheaper ones roaming around the app store first, like my main squeeze Ascension, just to get a taste of the general mechanics.

I loved my time with Drift'n'Drive, and while it especially stands out in this week's batch of releases, it holds up pretty well overall. I highly recommend it, though I hope more circuits are in tow.

If you’ve already played or own Red Dead Redemption on Xbox Series X or Xbox One X, I only really recommend it on Switch for portable play. If you’ve never played it before and own a Switch, I love this release. The lack of gyro aiming is disappointing, but everything else is better than I expected given this is Red Dead Redemption‘s first ever re-release. Hopefully gyro can be added in so that this becomes my favorite way to experience Red Dead Redemption until a potential PC version releases.

Mon Amour isn’t the most complicated or lengthy of games, but it has more depth and heft to it than you would initially assume. If you enjoy score chasing, you’ll especially find a lot to chew on here. Like a classic arcade game of old, it takes simple mechanics and gives you enough to do with them that there ends up being a wide range of scoring possibilities. Take that and wrap it all up in the usual quirky Onion Games charm, and you’ve got a real winner.

1 Coin Studio wanted to make a game that captured the essence of the 16-bit shooter and rewarded the player for skill, rather than offering up content in the form of IAP. In a world of ever increasing pay walls, to me this is a welcome business model and I hope it pays off for this team, as I really want to see what other digital miracles they have up their sleeves.

Barring an incredible odd decision to force players to stay online to play it, Rhythm Thief & The Paris Caper is one of the best rhythm games on the mobile market right now.

It has minor mechanical flaws, such as not always calculating success accurately and handling a bit more smoothly on the iPad compared with the iPhone, but overall I found Perfection to be a refreshing, worthwhile experience.