Time is on your side in Wavecade—if you can bend it to your will. This neon-drenched tribute to ’80s arcade shoot-’em-ups puts you in a block-blasting spaceship. Move higher on the screen to speed up the action (and boost your points multiplier), or slide toward the bottom to slow time to a crawl, making it easier to dodge foes and plot your next move.

What we love: Combining power-ups to transform our tiny craft into a block-obliterating juggernaut. The Path Finder perk unleashes lightning-fast homing bolts, while Chain Reaction annihilates tightly grouped blocks. Snag both to light up the cosmos with breathtaking destruction—and see your score go supernova.

Quick tip: Hold down the fire button and sweep side to side at the bottom of the screen to build up an enormous barrage of slo-mo bullets. Then slide up the screen to speed up time and let ’em rip!

Meet the creator: An indie developer based in Melbourne, Australia, Andrew Spalato made Wavecade during his spare time and on weekends. He and his brother build games together—usually spooky ones—under the Spalato Bros. banner.