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These are the best iPhone and iPad games from August 2015

Laras, car-ers, gloom beasts!

These are the best iPhone and iPad games from August 2015
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iOS

August is dead, the leaves are turning brown, children are going back to school, the fires that circle that village are being lit once more to keep the first of the gloom beasts at bay.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't take some time out and reflect on a ruddy great month for iOS gaming. I mean, none of us have been eaten by a gloom beasts yet, have we? Right?

There were some amazing premium games last month, some amazing free to play games, and some amazing games that defied monetary classification and still manage to be really entertaining.

So slip on that first wooly hat of the year, gather round the warming embers of the great pyre, and let me list for you, in no particular order, the ten best iOS games of August 2015.

Lara Croft GO
By Square Enix - buy on iPhone and iPad

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Square Enix GO-ifies another of its properties, and the end result is even better than the surprisingly good Hitman GO.

Lara's adventures are distilled into a turn-based puzzler, with lots of snakes and spiders to kill and conundrums to solve.

It looks amazing, it plays brilliantly, and it'll make you think carefully about each move.

Horizon Chase
By Aquiris Game Studio - buy on iPhone and iPad

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An utterly gorgeous arcade racer that works brilliantly on mobile. Every corner is a desperate skid, every overtaking move worthy of a fist clench.

It's retro in all the right ways, and features enough blue sky to make you long for the days when every game wasn't brown and gritty.

It's not perfect, but it does offer a massive wodge of fun, and that's really all you can ask from an arcade driving game.

Pac-Man 256
By Hipster Whale - download on iPhone and iPad

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The Crossy Road dev take on the arcade classic. It's rich with references, looks gorgeous, and has a real pop to it.

Based on the glitch that occurs when you reach level 256 in the original, you're avoiding ghosts, outrunning the collapse of the game world, and snaffling power pills.

It's a smart reimagining of one of the original arcade classics, and you'll probably get horribly, horribly addicted to it.

Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon
By Tiger Style - buy on iPhone and iPad

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The sequel to one of the most original mobile games out there, Rite of the Shrouded Moon is another slice of smart and subversive puzzling.

Ostensibly you're a spider spinning webs and catching a variety of insects. But there's a deeper story here that reveals itself as you play.

This is a deep and engaging game, and one that's well worth seeing through until the end.

Loot & Legends
By DropForge Games - download on iPad

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A heartfelt love letter to table-top RPGs, Loot & Legends is a cardboard-style game of dice and stats, and it's bloody great.

Anyone who's ever glanced at a character sheet will be instantly at home here, and it's welcoming to any newcomers as well.

You're unlikely to find a game that's as warm and lovingly put together, and it's genuinely funny in places as well.

Final Fantasy VII
By Square Enix - buy on iPad and iPhone
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What is there to be said about Final Fantasy VII that hasn't already been said? A classic of the PSOne era, it's the JRPG that set in a lot of people's minds what JRPGs should be.

And while this mobile port isn't perfect, the game underneath it is every bit as massive, every bit as enjoyable, and every bit as heartbreaking as it ever was.

It's expensive, yes, but this is a game that you can, and probably should, pour hundreds of hours into.

Winter Fugitives
By HeavyBoat - download on iPad and iPhone

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Crossy Road by way of a prison escape game, Winter Fugitives builds on the endless runner template with some smart new moves.

Do you make a run for it or try and sneak past the vision cones of the guards? You'll need to decide quick because the bottom of the screen doesn't stop moving.

This is a surprisingly frantic addition to the genre and if you haven't had a look at it yet, you definitely should.

Rockstars of Ooo
By Cartoon Network - buy on iPad and iPhone

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A collection of mini rhythm action games set in the Adventure Time universe, this sweet little tapper is as charming as it is entertaining.

There are lots of bright colours, plenty of silly noises, and all the characters you'd expect to find in a game based on the cartoon.

But it's also pretty addictive. And while you might finish everything it has to offer in a few hours, they'll be a brilliant few hours.

Race the Sun
By Flippfly - buy on iPad and iPhone

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Okay so technically this came out in July, but for some reason I didn't catch it in the round-up then and it definitely deserves a mention.

A super fast, twitchy endless flyer that sees you trying desperately to keep your solar powered jet away from the shadows.

The track changes every day, so there's always something new to do, and the minimalist graphics are quite something.

Shibuya Grandmaster
By Nevercenter - download on iPad and iPhone

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A bright and surprisingly smart puzzle game that sort of came out of nowhere and took us all by surprise.

As well as testing your brain power, there's some panic-inducing twitchiness here as well. This is a game that demands skill as well as smarts.

You'll need to put in a lot of practice to figure out the esoteric rhythms of play, but once you do you'll find a brilliant, addictive chunk of mobile gaming.


Previously... Her StoryHer StorySproggiwood July 2015 - June 2015 - May 2015
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.