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Pan-Pan ($3.99) by Spelkraft is an open world adventure game that features plenty of puzzles and exploration. If you enjoyed games like Lumino City and Maestria, then you will like what Pan-Pan brings to the App Store.

When I’m not playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on my Nintendo Switch these days, I like to turn to my iPhone for some relaxation and variety. Even though there are plenty of puzzles to solve in BotW, I still can’t help but look for even more puzzles in the iOS games that I play, and when you combine it with a vast adventure, well, I can’t resist. When I saw Pan-Pan on the App Store, I was intrigued by the screenshots, and knew that it was something that I had to check out. If you’re a fan of open-world adventure games with little to no guidance, well, Pan-Pan will be right up your alley.

Visually speaking, Pan-Pan is gorgeous. The game features an isometric art style that is similar to games like Monument Valley and Causality, but it has enough unique elements to stand out from the rest. Everything is rendered in full 3-D and the game has that angled top-down perspective so it’s possible to see more on the screen at once. The color palette used in Pan-Pan ranges from soft pastels to some bolder and more vibrant tones, but everything meshes together nicely. Animations are smooth and fluid as you move around and pan the camera, so I had no lag on my iPhone 7. To top everything off, Pan-Pan has a soothing, ambient soundtrack that is composed by Simon Viklund. The tunes and sound effects are relaxing yet immersive, so it’s best to play the game with a good pair of earbuds if you want to full experience.

The game starts out with a spaceship that is flying in space, but as you tap on it to interact with it, the ship ends up breaking down and crashing on a mysterious planet, so you must fix it and find your way back home. There are no levels in Pan-Pan — the game just throws you into the game world without any guidance, and it’s up to you to figure everything out on your own. While you may think that the first area is a bit small, you’ll end up wandering off and uncovering more and more of the world map as you go towards the vignetted areas, and more puzzles are revealed. Since the game is all about exploration, you may have to wander around a bit before you are able to find the necessary elements that are required to complete the puzzles that you come across, so a bit of back-and-forth (and patience) is a must in Pan-Pan. However, everything is done seamlessly as you uncover and enter new areas, which just shows how much care was put into the game during development. There is support for up to three game saves, which is nice to have if someone else wants to play the game on a single device.

The controls in Pan-Pan are simple enough and clearly designed for touch screens. To move your character around, just tap on where you want to go, and she will go towards that spot. If there are objects that you can interact with, there will be a marker above them indicating that and you can tap on them to investigate. These can include switches, buttons, special tiles on the floor, objects that you can pick up and place somewhere, NPCs, and more. As far as saving your game goes, you’ll need to find the save points and save your game manually, otherwise your data can be lost.

If you’ve played point-and-click adventure games in the past, then these controls should feel like second nature to you by now. You can also rotate the camera around by dragging your finger horizontally across the screen, and there is a button at the bottom that allows you to zoom in or out of the current landscape. Optionally, you can also use multitouch gestures like the pinch to zoom in or out.

While the controls work for the most part, I did find the camera panning control to be a bit weird, because it felt inverted. For example, if I wanted to look towards the left of the screen, I would think that swiping my finger left-to-right would rotate the camera clockwise, but it’s just the opposite. This throws me off a bit, and there is no inverted control option to change it to the other way around. But there is a second control scheme that gets rid of the zoom button so that the interface is more clean, if that’s what you prefer.

Aside from the controls, another issue I have with the game is the fact that there is no explanation of anything. While this may appeal to some gamers, I don’t like being thrown into a game without any explanation of what I’m supposed to do, especially during a puzzle. I believe that a lot of the puzzles can be solved through trial-and-error with enough patience, but still, I would have appreciated some kind of explanation of what’s happening at least. I’m a bit torn with this game, because I love the visual style and the music, but when I have no clue what I’m doing, it’s hard to enjoy everything else.

Because there is no help at all, I’m still super early on in the game. I’m in love with the graphics and sound, but it’s hard to have fun with the game when I’m pretty lost. I wish there was a tad more guidance in Pan-Pan, as it would be much more enjoyable for anyone besides hardcore gamers. Hopefully it’s something that the developers can consider in the future, but not ruin the overall experience of the game.

I recommend Pan-Pan only if you enjoy open-world puzzle adventure games and have no problem figuring out what you’re supposed to do without a guide. Pan-Pan can be found on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $3.99. There are no in-app purchases.

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#breakforcist ($2.99) by Kevin John of Lucid Sheep Games is a delightful and purely chaotic brick-breaker arcade game that combines the awesomeness of breakfast with wacky exorcisms. If you enjoyed other quirky takes on traditional games, such as Stagehand and RunGunJumpGun, then you will love what #breakforcist has to offer.

Now that I’ve been back from the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco last week (and checked out a ton of awesome upcoming games), I’m in the mood for some indie games more than ever before. As I was away, I did notice a ton of new games that hit the App Store, so I have a bit of catching up to do in terms of releases. One that particularly caught my eye was #breakforcist because of the graphics (screenshots matter). While I’m not the biggest fan of brick-breaker games in general since they get a bit repetitive to me after a while, I was still intrigued with #breakforcist because it was such a unique combination. Plus, I adore breakfast foods, so when that’s in a game, I must have it, along with some breakfast. After playing #breakforcist on the plane ride back to Southern California, as well as many times after I got back over the weekend, I must say that #breakforcist is far from disappointing.

The visuals in #breakforcist are cute and charming with a unique art style that is reminiscent of tokidoki to me. I don’t find games with this kind of art direction too often, so when I saw it featured on the App Store, I knew I had to get my hands on it because I love cute things like Sanrio and tokidoki. In #breakforcist, the visuals carry a flat aesthetic and the color palette is full of bright and vivid pastels that will appeal to anyone who is looking for a fun game. While the game is too fast-paced for one to truly appreciate the artwork, I do like how much detail that the developer put into the game, because everything, including the demons possessing delicious waffles, are endearing with their various facial expressions. The typography in #breakforcist is also cartoonish and bubbly, which just adds to the overall charm. Animations in #breakforcist are smooth and fluid, and I experienced no lag on my iPhone 7.

Another fantastic thing about #breakforcist is the soundtrack that is composed by Pete Ellison (he also did the art). If you’re a fan of techno and EDM music, then you’re in for a treat, because that’s all that #breakforcist offers for a hearty meal. There are even different tracks that you can unlock later on by completing missions, and they’re all captivating and rather immersive, so I recommend getting your favorite headphones on when playing #breakforcist. Plus, the music offers an audible clue when the breakfast bricks are encroaching on the paddle area. Needless to say, I think that both Kevin John and Pete Ellison did a wonderful job with #breakforcist in terms of visual style and audio, which I think are worth the price of admission alone.

If you’ve played any brick-breaker games before, then everything should be familiar to you. Players will go through an infinite wave of levels that feature tasty waffles and other breakfast foods as the “bricks” that are descending from the top of the screen, and you must clear them out and exorcise the demons that are possessing waffles in the process. The levels are randomly generated, so it’s never the same thing when you start over, and as you advance through the stages (clear all tiles to complete the current wave), the pace picks up rather quickly. Even if you’re a veteran brick-breaker player, the game can be a bit challenging because there can be a lot happening on the screen at once.

The controls in #breakforcist are simple and straightforward enough: along the bottom is your paddle to hit the ball, so you slide your thumb or finger in the area below it to move the bar left or right. When the paddle is hitting the edges of the screen, you’ll know because of the subtle lightning animations that are emitted from the sides. When you lift your finger from the screen for more than two seconds or so, the game automatically pauses, and there’s a countdown when you return so you have a few seconds to prepare before jumping back in. There are a ton of power-ups in the game that you can use to your advantage as well, which are activated as soon as you break a breakfast brick containing one.

If you can rack up a combo of multiple hits and power-ups, things get a bit crazy on the screen, so it can be hard to keep up with everything sometimes. I do wish that the area for the movement was a bit larger, and the space at the top of the screen reduced a bit so that the rest of the game can be pushed upwards for more control space, since it feels a tad cramped on my regular iPhone 7.

At the start of the game, you’ll only have access to a few power-ups. However, as you complete the goals, you’ll be able to unlock more power-up options that become available to you throughout the game, as well as more music tracks and even iMessage stickers to use.

Your score is determined by three factors after clearing each stage: Wave, Speed, and Style. The Wave element is pretty obvious — the higher the level you are on, the more points you earn. Speed is how fast you clear the stage, and style is determined pretty much by how crazy you can make things by getting a huge combo or having a ton of power-ups active at once. Essentially, you earn Style points by exorcising all of the breakfast demons with some flair and sass. If you get rid of them all but in a boring, traditional way, then you will get no Style points.

I’ve had #breakforcist for a few days now and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it when I have some spare moments throughout the day. The game has adorable graphics that’s full of quirks, the EDM music is top-notch, and it’s a fun new twist on classic gameplay. Plus, how can I resist a game full of breakfast foods (the best meal anytime of the day) and cuddly-yet-dangerous demons? While some brick breakers feel repetitive, I think #breakforcist is fun and interesting enough with goals that it keeps you coming back for more.

I highly recommend giving #breakforcist a try if you’re in the mood for a cute and tasty brick-breaker arcade game. Breakforcist is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases and there are iMessage stickers included.

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