Monument Valley
iOS
Part game, part mesmerising geometric artwork, Monument Valley is a journey through impossible, physics-defying, Escher-style buildings towards heroine Ida's mysterious destiny. Made by eight-person outfit Ustwo, Monument Valley has been a hit on the Apple store. It works by rotating and sliding sections of its architecture until you guide Ida to each level's exit. The pin-sharp minimalist design and ambient soundtrack create a magical atmosphere that compels you to see more of its tiny world. The puzzles aren't hard but have an elegance in their simplicity that makes solving them a source of joy and continual surprise.
Ustwo, £2.49
Trials Fusion
Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4
The Trials series has spent the last 14 years adding ridiculous spectacle to riding motorbikes over tricky obstacles. Set in the near future, Trials Fusion escalates the visual extravaganza, starting off in vast exploding industrial facilities with drones scudding past and pieces of tracks swooping in at the last second, as you use careful throttle control and balance to land improbably large jumps. There are new skill stages and courses where you need to pull off tricks to score points, but this is still mostly about getting to the end of each track without crashing. There's also an excellent level editor that lets you knock together your own rider-tormenting creations.
Ubisoft, £28.99
FTL
iOS
In FTL your job is to deliver data to the imperial high command before the pursuing rebel fleet catches up with you. You do that through a series of faster-than-light jumps, hopping between star systems, each of which contains a random encounter, mission or enemy space ship. Dealing with each threat means juggling your ship's crew and resources, turning off the oxygen supply and medical bay to divert power to weapons, or opening airlocks to asphyxiate cheeky intruders. The refinement of its touch screen controls and inclusion of the Advanced Edition, which adds new aliens, weapons and scenarios, make this the best version of a brilliant and murderously difficult game.
Subset Games, £6.99
