These are the best iPhone and iPad games from October 2015

October ended on a spooky note. Lots of vampires, zombies, and various other creatures of the dark surfaced for a bit of a boogie.

But what about mobile games? Was it a horrific month for the App Store? Or was it a saintly time full of immaculate releases and jolly good times?

Well, judging by how difficult it was to pick just ten games for this list, I'd say it was pretty damn spiffy. The month might have started off slow, but the last couple of weeks were stuffed full of gems.

So without further ado, let's look at the ten best games that came out this month, and then wonder what delights November is going to bring us.

Downwell
By Moppin - buy on iPhone and iPad

Downwell is a brilliant vertical roguelike that sees you plummeting down a well. Hence the name. It's okay though because you've got guns built into your shoes. Obviously.

It's tough in all the right ways, and its retro aesthetic is full of the sort of charm and swagger that make you giggle. And then swear when a bat kills you.

It might take a while to get the hang of, but once you do you'll find yourself in a shoe-stomping, bat-hating loop for a good long time.

Beneath the Lighthouse
By Nitrome - download on iPhone and iPad

Oh Nitrome. Lovely lovely Nitrome. This is another brilliant twist on the platform genre. A literal twist, actually, because it's all about rolling a ball through a series of fiendish mazes.

It's a beautifully challenging experience with a great free to play system that doesn't try and gouge you at every given moment.

It looks lovely, it sounds lovely, and you'll probably swear your face off when you fail. But success is such a wonderful experience you'll definitely stick with it.

Five Card Quest
By Rocket Cat Games - buy on iPhone and iPad

A bit of a departure for Rocket Cat this one, but it's a brilliant departure. This is a turn-based strategy roguelike with some great ideas that keeps it fresh.

You lead your party of adventurers through randomly generated dungeons, then get in fights with a bunch of skeletons and monsters.

The scraps are brilliant, with the five cards of the title narrowing your options but widening your tactical choices. It's great, you should play it.

Templar Battleforce
By Cory Trese - buy on iPhone and iPad

A slightly clunky tactical experience set in the far future. If you like stomping space marines and murderous aliens, then you're in for a treat.

It wears its influences on its power armour clad sleeve. It's tense, it's tactical, and you'll be a bit sad when your Templars die. Because they die for good.

It's not the best looking game out there, but when it plays this well, it's pretty difficult to complain.

Future Sense
By Origin8 Technologies - buy on iPad and iPhone

A smart mix of point-and-click adventure, time travelling, and gory deaths, with a decent story thrown in for good measure.

It's pretty grim, and it's a little on the short side since it's just the first episode, but there's enough here to give you high hopes for the future.

Plus did I mention all of the gory deaths? Seriously, you spend a lot of this game exploding in a shower of gloop. Mmmmmmm, gloop.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
By 505 Games - buy on iPad and iPhone

A wonderful port of a wonderful game. Seriously, some of the vistas here are worth sitting and staring at. And there are benches that let you do just that.

The game sees you controlling the titular brothers. The twist is you're doing it at the same time, one with a stick on the right and one with a stick on the left.

It's a bit fiddly sometimes, but it's enjoyable enough that you'll be able to look past the foibles of the controls.

The Beggar's Ride
By Bad Seed - buy on iPad and iPhone

It's rare that a game features an overweight, bearded homeless man, but then The Beggar's Ride is pretty rare all round.

The game is a puzzling platformer that sees you utilising the powers of a god-infused mask to manipulate the environment around you.

It's beautifully presented, and surprisingly slow paced. Not in a bad way, mind. Definitely one that's worth putting some time and effort into.

Minions Paradise
By EA - download on iPad and iPhone

A game about those podgy Minion things from that film that everyone went doolally over for some reason. Strangely enough though, it's actually pretty damn good.

Sure, it's a free to play island builder, but there's always something to do, and it captures the humour of the films pretty damn well.

If you're looking for something to waste some time on that might raise the odd smile, then you could do a lot worse than checking this out.

X-Mercs
By Game Insight - download on iPad and iPhone

A free to play riff on the XCOM formula, but one that actually works really well. It's tough, it's violent, and it's really good looking.

There are a few niggles here and there, but for the most part the action is fast, tough, and will have you somewhere near the edge of your seat.

There's always something to do, and the free to play system feels fair. If you like tactics and killing mutants, this is a good bet.

Afterpulse
By Gamevil - download on iPad and iPhone

A free to play third person shooter on mobile? What is this doing on this list? Well, it's here because it's a remarkable amount of fun.

In fact it's so much fun that I'm still playing it now. When I've finished typing the next paragraph I'm probably going to play it some more.

It's painfully addictive, it looks amazing, and the playing field is surprisingly level. It's not perfect, but it's violent and compulsive in all the right ways.

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