Touch Arcade

Framed 2 chucks almost everything that was bad about the original Framed out the window, emphasizing what is strong about the concept, and then building on it. This is exactly what a sequel should do. And for Framed, where you had a game with a good concept but a flawed execution, Loveshack put a ton of work in to make a sequel that annihilates what the first game did. It took a few years, but finally the promise of Framed has been fulfilled with Framed 2.

Yankai's Peak is a quality puzzle game that feels alien and familiar all at once, and it's well-worth fidgeting around with until you make it to the end.

So as a game, I have my criticisms of Monument Valley 2, and it's kind of why while I understand why review scores are such a useful shorthand, they are imperfect for something like the Monument Valley games. If you want a puzzle game that will test you, this isn't for you. If you just want something that you can interact with in order to get rewarded with interesting themes and gorgeous artwork, Monument Valley 2 succeeds at that. But if Ustwo ever explores this world again, I think there's a gap between the gameplay and the art that could be crossed to make this the masterful experience these games have just barely fallen short of being in my eyes.

Beholder is definitely a great addition to games that examine life in oppressive States, and I was glad to see that it manages to be a fun game to play despite its grim theme. With great art and music and plenty of choices, which lead to different endings, Beholder is definitely a game you should be playing.

Subdivision Infinity is a slick-looking shooter that offers excellent action and accessible, arcade-style gameplay. It's a straightforward game that has a few nasty difficulty spikes here and there, and it will definitely test both your skills and patience at times. That said, the pure thrill of zipping around and shooting down a pack of enemies more than balances out those frustrating moments. It isn't much more than a weekend's worth of joy, but it's a weekend well-spent, to be sure.

A great deal of the enjoyment comes from my affection for the theme and the goofy yet earnest approach Behold took in presenting it, however, so make sure you account for that. At the very least, as a game, it's overall more well-designed than Knights of Pen & Paper. It applies much of what made that game good to a new genre, and it is unmistakably crafted from the same hands.

We're left with the same business as usual, I'm afraid. Onigo Hunter has a couple of new pins affixed to its lapels, but in most respects, the experience is barely distinguishable from the other assorted EXE-Create games released by Kemco this year. It's okay on its own merits. If you just want another traditional-style JRPG to stuff in your gob, it has a decent enough taste to it and will keep you chewing for a little while. Even the most tolerant of Kemco followers has got to be getting tired of this particular flavor by now, though. I know I am.

Penarium is an entertaining enough arena platformer. It will test you and frustrate you, but keeps things from being overly complex for better or worse. It's entertaining, I like the art and sound work, and the dual aspect of campaign and arcade modes though I would like more of a link between the two for progress. If you like arena platformers, you can get a lot of fun out of Penarium, though it's a game I have a few misgivings with. But still, I find myself compelled to come back again and again. And hey, with Super Crate Box's time limited thanks to it not being updated to 64-bit yet, what else are you gonna play?!

I hope this also serves as a good reminder to developers that if you can fit your game on mobile, it's probably worth it! A title like this is an amazing fit on the go, and while I missed it early on (and I imagine I'm not alone), it's getting a great second wind on mobile. With a great mobile port like this, Steredenn is an absolute must-have for anyone who has any positive feelings toward roguelikes and/or shoot 'em ups. It's challenging, as you would hope, but such a fun, rewarding, and replayable game.

It's a weird complaint that One Stick Shooter is too action packed, but it just isn't really for me. I fully admit that there's tons (and tons) of people who love games that are just a brutal onslaught of never-ending swarms of enemies to blast. If that describes you, chances are you'll be super into No Stick Shooter. Better yet, it's a paid game with no freemium hijinks- Always a welcome thing to see on the App Store.