Gearsprout Workshop

Gearsprout Workshop puts you in a cluttered inventor's shed where you assemble little clockwork critters from cogs, springs, and salvaged parts. Each build genuinely behaves differently once you wind it up and set it loose.

The loop is relaxing: gather parts, tinker, send a creature on an expedition, come back to see what it dragged home. Drag-and-drop assembly works beautifully on a touchscreen and there's no pressure to rush.

It's a chill game with just enough depth to keep your brain warm. The only downside is the mid-game gets a touch repetitive, but a steady stream of new parts mostly keeps it fresh.

What we liked

• Hands-on drag-and-drop building
• Every creature behaves uniquely
• Perfectly relaxed, no-stress pacing