Touch Arcade

The Lodger is an interesting character thrown into a game that tries too hard to be strange. After finishing the game within the three hour mark there is little to no reason to go back, and the game didn’t leave me with a lasting impression due to having perhaps too many wacky visions thrown at me. A bit like watching a Monty Python marathon where you remember the fish slapping, but not all the weird animations.

While it may be too difficult for some, I enjoyed my time with Dual Survivor, as multitask-centric games don't come around too often -- just note that those of you who are willing to put in the time will definitely appreciate it a little more. I wish it had a bit more of a personality for sure, but the gameplay makes up for it and it's even more fun with a friend.

It does do an amazing job of exploiting its aesthetic, and it’s worth picking up purely because of that. Plus, just imagine the merchandising opportunities – I’m envisioning hell-sweaters, woollen deer plushies, everything.

Considering the fact that the online arena space on mobile devices is limited, Fright Fight is a noble inaugural effort for the studio, and delivers a decent fighting game with an agreeable price of entry. I just wish a little more polish went into it, there were more fighters to choose from, and it was a premium title with everything included.

There's potential here for a lot more, especially with regards to the equipment system, and I'd love to see the developer step away from the pixel art style again outside of their flagship series. Once you've finished Devious Dungeon, it's well and truly over with, but for the price of admission, it's kind of hard to gripe much.

Flawless execution of the matching RPG puzzler mechanics would be enough to warrant a strong recommendation for Block Legend. Add in all the potential unlockables and heroes and Legend does what it needs to be an awesome game with lasting power. The folks at DotWarrior Games really sprung this on us out of nowhere, and is highly suggest you do not miss it.

Arcade action? Maybe. But Primal Flame could start a whole new genre if it wanted. A 'la Flappy Bird and it's 101 clones, I wouldn't be surprised if this ushered in a wave of ‘Strike-a-match-and-avoid-evil-falling-leaves’ games because it completely sucked me in. Like the proverbial moth to the flame, you could say.

Beyond Space is a fun shooter that will supply a couple of hours of shallow enjoyment. The linear story, lack of customization and multiplayer certainly don’t knock the current space shooter king of the throne. Still Beyond Space has the controls, and looks that make it worth considering if you are looking to blast lasers into enemies in space.

Its attention to recreating the feeling around playing card games with your friends is a breath of fresh air for a genre that generally cuts right to the chase, and I think that's something worth paying attention to and enjoying.

It’s amazing how careful attention to details such as music, ambience, pacing and story can take a decent gameplay experience and transform it into a great adventure. The folks at Wicky Ware have done just that, with Mines of Mars being a highly enjoyable melding of exploration and combat wrapped around a side-scrolling mining adventure. I highly recommend iOS gamers give this one a whirl.