Touch Arcade

On an iPhone or iPad, the 2-D, side-scrolling block-based sandbox is a winning formula, and The Blockheads is the most well-executed, true-to-Minecraft game I've had the pleasure to experience on iOS.

Suffice to say, LEGO fans have little reason not to check out DC Super Heroes, while anyone else interested in a light-hearted adventure should take the plunge.

When you take the sum of all the great things that Nimble Quest does, you end up with an excellent casual title that’s easily approachable while having just enough strategy elements to want to keep you coming back to beat your high score one more time. The quick-play aspect also makes it my go-to title when I have a few minutes to spare. The melding of social elements, long-term goals, and varied (and cute!) heroes just works. I can’t say I’m surprised as to the quality of Nimble Quest, but anyone that hasn’t checked out this gem really needs to download it now.

There's no barrier to entry here, with one exception: this isn't a game that's ever likely to get a color blind mode. Otherwise, though, anyone can play Blendoku, and play it freely. All you need to be able to do is drag a square from one position to another. After that, it's all fun, games and beautiful color. Why not take a look?

All together, these systems make for a clever game. And it's certainly a cute one. I'm just not convinced it will have all that much lasting power. Once you've learned all you can learn, scored as well as you can score, what's left? There's an upper level limit, and a small selection of fish. It might take a long time to earn that coveted 10 out of 10, but Fish Out of Water might also lose its charm on the way.

Mighty Dungeons is hard to recommend in its current state. Keep an eye on our discussion thread, though. The developer is working to add in more dynamic combat already, as well as addressing a few pesky bugs. This is a game that could grow, and it doesn't need to grow much to be noteworthy.

Three modes, touch controls that hop to at the slightest touch, and retro graphics. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Don't be fooled by appearances, Plasma-Sky is a solid addition to the ever-expanding galaxy of shmups available on the App Store.

Tiny Troopers 2 takes everything good with the original and simply adds more along with a few small changes that expand the game while not dramatically changing the formula. Suffice to say, Tiny Troopers 2 is just as enjoyable as its predecessor and comes highly recommended as a simplified RTS that just gets it done right.

That type of versatility and richness speaks to the strength of the core ideas behind Badland. In a marketplace lousy with them, Badland is a well-considered and well-executed physics-based puzzle-platformer, tetchy controls notwithstanding.

For just a dollar, Worm Run almost sells itself. Its lightning-on-ice movement speed and motivation to keep on trucking in the form of a gigantic carnivorous beast make for a nice alternative to the droves of autopilot runners available on the App Store.