Touch Arcade

With several years between the first game and the third one, the 9th Dawn series now spans a number of eras in mobile gaming. But it has always been true to what it wanted to offer from the start, which is a world of adventures and memories on your mobile device with no nonsense weighing it down. 9th Dawn III is by leaps and bounds the easiest of the series to get into, and that’s an important step forward as once you get into these games, you won’t get out for a very long time indeed. Just one more quest, one more dive into that crypt, one more round of fishing, one more card game, one more tough monster defeated. And so it goes, until the sun rises on another new day. Don’t miss this one, my RPG-loving friends.

Having finally finished (I couldn’t resist) The Unfinished Swan, I can see why it was originally recommended to me in the first place. While there are some aspects that feel dated, the game itself has aged brilliantly and I hope Annapurna Interactive can address the few issues here so that this is something I can recommend without caveats to anyone looking for a unique but succinct exploration adventure game. I’m glad we finally have a definitive portable version of The Unfinished Swan now with this release.

Right from the start Felix the Reaper makes three promises: There will be dark comedy, there will be shadow puzzles, and there will be dancing skeletons. It delivers on all three. The humour is black, the puzzles are interesting, and Felix’s dance moves are excellent, if somewhat mistimed. This is clearly a labour of love, and that love shows through clearly. Unfortunately, it was not evenly distributed, and the rough patches make themselves known rather quickly. Nevertheless, I would encourage you, oh reader mine, to give it a shot. Watch some gameplay, read a few reviews—it could be just the game for you!

Overall, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales on iOS is an essential for any fans of The Witcher 3 and Gwent. If you don’t like card games but enjoy the world of CD Projekt Red’s Witcher the storytelling here will more than make up for that. You can even play on a lower difficulty to skip encounters if you just want to experience the story and world.

Crying Suns is a tactical game. More than that, though, it is a game of exploration, of mystery, and of reclaiming what was lost. Even though some parts of it seem to clash, the overall experience is very good. For those coming from FTL, the sense of exploration, the wonder of meeting new people and finding new places, is very familiar. For those who simply find the idea of fighting to restore a crumbling empire, helping the people trying to survive the wreckage, bring a semblance of order to dangerous territories, you’re in for a treat. Either way, Crying Suns is an easy recommendation for those looking to experience tactical gameplay with a extra helping of dark scifi frosting and a glaze of mystery.

Overall, Death Come True is one of my favorite FMV experiences for sure. While I was hoping for more polish in the localization with the lack of subtitles for many things, the story was excellent and I enjoyed my time across the game with its multiple endings. Hopefully Izanagi Games can patch in subtitles for the bonus content and some of the in-game text because Death Come True deserves better. While this isn’t a visual novel or adventure game that Danganronpa fans would be hoping for, I’m glad to see Kazutaka Kodaka try out new things in his first released project with Too Kyo Games.

If you only have one device and don’t mind some small touch targets for the interface, Slay the Spire will easily be one of the best games you play on your iOS device. Once these issues get addressed, I can see Slay the Spire becoming one of my most played games on iOS after it has already been on that list on Nintendo Switch and Xbox One in recent months.

SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit is a nice casual game for people who love the show, or just enjoy some platforming games. Although it’s on the easy side, Patty Pursuit offers a bunch of fun levels with secrets scattered throughout the level, which makes you want to play it again and again.

If you’re looking into Neversong, I’ve got to tell you it’s a joy to play. It doesn’t matter if you’re into a good story or you just want a platforming adventure with pretty visuals, Neversong delivers in every aspect and it’s a must-play game from Apple Arcade.

Despite those minor blemishes, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition on iOS is now the version of the game I will recommend to newcomers to the series. It was already a must play for anyone looking for a good story and great music and it is more accessible than ever before thanks to iOS and Android releases of such a high quality. Even if you try and rush through it (which I wouldn’t recommend), you will find yourself enthralled for over 20 hours here. I can’t wait for Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair to arrive because it is my favourite of the trilogy. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition is well worth your time.

If Found… is yet another winner from Annapurna Interactive. Dreamfeel’s story is important, touching, and brilliant. If you enjoy interactive visual novels with excellent stories, great music, and gorgeous visuals, If Found… is for you. It doesn’t overstay its welcome like many visual novels and the two to three hours you put in will just fly by. I can’t wait to see what Dreamfeel does next because this is top notch stuff. If Found… is now available on the App Store for iOS for $4.99.

Although a bit easy, Spyder is really fun to play. In my opinion, this is one of those games where the journey is more important than the destination. If you’re looking for a casual game that you can enjoy without any issues, Spyder is a great game to try on Apple Arcade.

Roundguard is a great game altogether. It’s got everything you’d want from a bouncy dungeon crawler/RPG. You’ve got unique characters and enemies that are beautifully designed, witty and smart dialogues with a small dose of easter eggs, and engaging gameplay that you can play both mindlessly or completely focused. If you haven’t already, Roundguard is a game you must try out as soon as possible.

As an Apple Arcade game though, Outta Control lacks an engaging story, complex and fun gameplay, and other characteristics that other Apple Arcade games have already given us. In a world with awesome and creative games like Jenny LeClue or Sayonara Wild Hearts, Outta Control seems outta place.

Ultimately, Incredible Mandy is a long ways from being the game I thought it would be. Despite that, and despite the controls, the combat, the overly-taxing particle effects and bare environments, it is a fun game. While the overall experience was not what it could have been, I still enjoyed running around the varied landscapes, solving puzzles, and admiring many an expansive view. While I have a hard time recommending it, if you happen to enjoy adventures, puzzles, and have also exhausted your backlog, it’s worth a shot.

I really hope this isn’t just a one-off for Konami as I’d love to see more of the Castlevania games or the company’s PlayStation library make the jump, but we all know how this usually goes. For now, let’s just enjoy what we’ve got here: a wonderful pile of secrets.

No Way Home is a must-play Apple Arcade game. While it sometimes might get repetitive by shooting your way through from point A to point B, the engaging story, funny characters, and different game modes make this game a great experience that’s completely worth playing.

SAAZ is a similar game, yet different and built for a niche. There are undoubtedly fans of classical music and legendary compositions. There are also fans of rhythm-based iOS games. However, the niche is the fans that inhabit the center of that Venn diagram. The game works itself into a form for that specific niche. It doesn’t have anything overbearing, too complicated, or odd to maneuver.

Overall, Company of Heroes on iPad is easily an essential purchase if you enjoy real time strategy games. While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Rome: Total War because of the setting, there’s no denying the game quality and port quality here. Having played a lot with both interface options, I’m unsure if the non mobile focused control option will make it to iPhone.

Book of Demons is an easy recommendation, especially for iPad. With the Flexiscope, a feature that allows you to pick the amount of time you want to play and a dungeon based on that play time will be created for you, it is capable of delivering both a short romp and a longer dive. While it doesn’t have the near infinite replayability of Diablo, that doesn’t mean it isn’t replayable at all. It is, and it’s just as good the second, third, or even fourth time through as it is on the first.

While I still prefer Disgaea 5 Complete overall, it is good to see NIS continue to refine the original game with every new platform offering better ways to experience the origins of one of my favourite tactical RPG series ever. While I can’t vouch for the post launch support of this release when a new iOS update hits, in its current state (with the cloud save issue fixed), Disgaea 1 Complete on iOS is an easy recommendation for tactical RPG fans.

At its worst, Little Misfortune is a game that makes missteps that become apparent while playing it from a critical standpoint. At its absolute best, it’s a game that encapsulates thoughts and emotions that many wouldn’t consider while giving you a story that grows with each turn, and voice acting that sets it above many others.

If you’re willing to invest time and energy into a rather cumbersome game to find the gold within, you may enjoy The Last Remnant. But while it may not have the word ‘SaGa‘ in its name, know that it represents that brand’s typical ups and downs quite thoroughly in its essence. Proceed with caution.

Short breaks at work, waiting in line at a restaurant, or casually occupying time throughout the day, all of that can be encompassed by games built like this – short, fun, challenging puzzle games made with no filler. There’s no overarching commitment, there’s nothing more to it than the puzzle itself, and because of all of these factors, Unitied excels as a puzzle game. Although it may have started its journey on other platforms, it’s definitely found its place right at home on iOS.

If you’d really wanted to, you could beat Doomsday Vault in about two hours, which is probably what you’ll do because the game is hard to put down, although it can be a bit repetitive from time to time. On the bright side, Doomsday Vault promises more content in the future, so we’ll have to be patient to see what else developer Flightless has in store for us. Even though it’s a bit short, Doomsday Vault is a joy to play.