The best iOS and Android games of September 2017: The Witness, Iron Marines and more
Looking back on a month in mobile gaming
Welcome to our round-up of the best mobile games from the previous calendar month. It might have heralded in the end of the warm season, but September was pretty good for mobile games.
We had the return of the brilliant Ironhide, makers of Kingdom Rush, a long-awaited (so very long awaited) mobile port that didn't disappoint, and plenty of other brilliant things.
Have you been playing anything else in September? Let us know in the comments below.
Iron MarinesBy Ironhide - buy on iOS / buy on Android
Ironhide is responsible for the Kingdom Rush series, easily the best tower defence games on mobile. Iron Marines sees the developer straying into more ambitious RTS territory - and absolutely nailing it.
The WitnessBy Thekla - buy on iOS
The Witness on iOS as been a rumour of a mention of thing for so long, there were doubts about whether it would still happen. We knew it was still on course for a release, but it's still a relief to see this uniquely beautiful adventure-puzzler rocking up on mobile.
Thimbleweed ParkBy Terrible Toybox - buy on iOS
This classically styled point-and-click adventure game has a complex narrative, humorous dialogue, ingenious puzzles, and loads of pop culture references. It's pretty great.
OPUS: Rocket of WhiskersBy Sigono - download on iOS
An adventure game with survival elements that really tugs at the heart strings, and which isn't afraid to deal with weighty topics like loss and death.
AtomineBy Broken Arms Games - buy on iOS
A super-slick twin-stick shooter with (deliberately) glitchy cyberpunk graphics, chunky combat, and plenty of depth.
MorphiteBy Crescent Moone Games - buy on iOS
Like a tighter, more focused, more story-driven No Man's Sky, Morphite is a brilliant slice of space opera and a tight first-person adventure.
Stormbound: Kingdom WarsBy Kongregate - download on iOS / download on Android
Another Clash Royale clone? No, actually. Stormbound does something a little different with the formula, adding a touch of tower defence and boardgame mechanics for a more tactical experience.
The Guides AxiomBy Kevin Bradford - download on iOS / download on Android
Looking for an accessible, readily explained alternative puzzler after playing the brain-frying The Witness? Don't expect and easier ride from The Guides Axiom, a game that ties itself in intellectual knots and asks you to pick them apart.
The MachinesBy Directive Games - buy on iOS
Apple announced and launched its iPhone 8 family in September, and it used The Machines to show off their new AR power. It's no tech demo though. Rather, this is a finely balanced MOBA that you can play out on your living room floor.
Middle-earth: Shadow of WarBy Warner Bros. Games - download on iOS / download on Android
Hands up who expected this mobile spin-off to be any good? Be honest. But good is precisely what Middle-earth: Shadow of War turned out to be. It might not have the open-world thrills of the source console game, but this is a tight and surprise-filled RPG.