Gamezebo

This is a game that balances mobile sensibilities while still giving you enough control to make you feel like you’re involved. It isn’t super deep, but there’s enough entertainment here to keep you coming back for more over and over again. 

There are games that build more interesting experiences on similar foundations, and while CuBoGo is often entertaining, it makes a few too many missteps to wholeheartedly recommend it.

And truth be told, there’s some great level design here once you’ve become accustomed to the clunky controls and occasional unfair death. Getting to the end of stages intact after slowly and strategically working your way through the many traps is tense and terrific. Most of the time at least.

This is a game that deals in purity – even when it’s holding your hand, its grip is loose and careless. You’re on your own, just you and the track. It might not be the best looking game, or the most exciting, but if you’re looking for a racing experience that does its best to capture what pushing a car to its absolute limit is really like, Assetto Corsa Mobile is your best option.

Blon is a game that grows as you play it, always slipping in a new surprise or an intriguing idea. It might look like it’s shallow, but there’s a depth here that’s going to keep you coming back for more.

There’s several pieces of amusing dialogue, some unique level settings, and even some rudimentary first person sections. The latter are very shonky, but we appreciated the effort to mix up the gameplay.

Sliding Seas is a bright and pretty brilliant puzzler that keeps you on your toes, but in a comfortable and comforting way. If you’re looking for a new, soothing but engaging puzzler, you could do a lot worse than checking this one out.

This is the perfect game to fill in those idle moments when you’re looking for a gaming fix but don’t want to play anything monumental. You can play for a few minutes, have a lovely time, then go and do something else. Flea Jump knows what it is, and it plays its part to almost perfection.

There’s no doubt we were whisked away by Hoa at times – largely thanks to the wonderful hand drawn visuals and melancholic soundtrack. There’s an amazing world that’s been created here, it’s just not always the most exciting place to explore. Hoa looks to offer up a relaxing experience first and foremost though, and because of its amazing aesthetics it largely succeeds in this aim – but it’s still hard to overlook its lack of ambition in the gameplay department.

Flarts is a wholesome, entertaining arcade game that walks the line between tough and simple with more than a little finesse. The little dopamine hits it offers up are well worth it, and while it might not last very long, you’re going to enjoy every second of it.

This might not be the most original game in the world, but it gives you more to do than a lot of other games of its ilk. It’s unlikely that you’ll remember it when you’ve got bored, but for the time you’re playing you’ll be enjoying some sweaty-palmed entertainment, and that’s not too shabby.

Ultimately this is as perfect a port of Quake as anyone could have ever hoped for. The single player campaign is not extraordinary but is always fun, and the multiplayer is still rock solid all these years later. With the low price point this is quite simply an essential download.

Tesla Force works brilliantly on mobile, managing to capture everything that makes the home version so great in a pocket-sized package. It’s hard not to get tangled up in its moreish repetition of slaughter, and it’s hard to think of stronger praise for a twin-stick roguelite shooter than that.

Rush Rally Origins is a polished, exciting, challenging driving game that balances you almost perfectly at the edge of your seat. After each session it feels like you need to pick the grit of the road out of your teeth, and that’s an achievement that deserves some recognition.

Sadly there are a few niggling issues here, even with the game’s short lifespan. One is that navigation around the map can be a tad confusing at times, and movement is occasionally a pain – with Flint getting stuck to parts of the scenery a few too many times. In a game where exploration is the largest draw the latter is a notable issue. Ultimately there’s no escaping the fact that Haven Park simply isn’t as fun or polished as its obvious inspirations. Despite this it never feels like a cash grab or a soulless clone, and is still well worth investigating if you’re after a new relaxed indie experience.

Cards of Terra is a neat little slice of distraction. It doesn’t have the chops to compete with the bigger card games available for mobile, but it’s enjoyable enough that it’s worth picking up and trying out. 

The Matching Dead isn’t fresh, but it isn’t exactly musty either. This is an entertaining match-’em-up with enough going on behind the scenes to keep you interested. If you’re looking for a matching RPG with an undead theme, then this is probably your best option on mobile right now.

So yes, sometimes Scrap Garden feels like it’s being held together by sticky tape. Sometimes it can be so clunky you want to scream in frustration. Yet it’s smartly priced, clearly a real labour of love by all involved, and always keeps surprising you. Just not always in a good way, admittedly.

This is an action-packed shooter with a compulsive rhythm that’s super difficult to put down. It might not have the depth or modes of Geometry Wars, but it manages to capture so much of what made that game great in a small package. Mini Blaster is the perfect way to fill your mobile gaming sessions with some wonderful stress.

What we’re not so cool with are some of the game’s bizarre category choices, such as ones dedicated to Beverly Hills, 90210 and My Little Pony. Maybe it’s all just part of the game’s freewheeling charm. But we doubt it.

My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge is a wonderfully ridiculous shooter that manages to turn bullet-time slaughter into a simple but effective artform. There’s so much fun to be had here that you’d really be pretty foolish if you didn’t pick it up and give it a go.

Ultimately Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a good game that’s sadly been poorly treated with this port. There’s not enough that’s been added in here to make it worthwhile for those who have fond memories of playing it back in 1993, and the rough edges will likely put off most newcomers.

Tower of Fortune 4 lives and dies on its central mechanic. If it’s too obviously, opaquely random for you, then you’re not going to push on and keep playing. But if you accept the explicit element of chance that it throws into everything you do, you’re going to find a solid RPG that’ll keep you engaged for a good long while. 

Contra Returns builds something reasonably strong on its nostalgic foundations, and while it isn’t a patch on the original, who really expected it to be? This is a fist-clenched blaster that’s packed with enough entertainment to keep you pushing through.

As it stands Cube Blast Match is not a broken game then, but far from a revolutionary one. If you have to play it we’d recommend looking into the mobile iteration first.