The mobile gaming market has grown so dense that it’s often difficult to find unique or interesting apps in popular categories.Allow us to assist you in your search.

Often, the best practice when this is the case is just to download a few free ones and delete the ones that don’t interest you later. But to save you the trouble, at least in a few major categories, here’s our look at some apps that set themselves apart.

In RPGs

The best RPGs remain on major consoles and online, and you can check out or list of the most enjoyable options as of the end of 2014 here. But there are a number of perfectly serviceable RPG app games out now as well, and it’s actually becoming a crowded genre. But for our money, nothing beats Chaos Rings, which essentially followed the formula often successful with app games and focused on limiting scope but getting its visuals and action just right. The game is unique in that it comes from Final Fantasy developers Square Enix-need we say more?

In Shooters

Shooting games on mobile devices tend to be hit-or-miss (no pun intended), but there are a few gems out there, and one is Assassin’s Creed: Pirates. This game stands out because unlike other console-to-mobile adaptations, it presents a unique mini-game instead of attempting to duplicate the option of its much larger console version. The result is an addictive and surprisingly impressive game full of canon fire and plundering that can keep you busy for hours.

In Puzzles

Puzzle gaming is an increasingly broad category, and what you include in it might just depend on your definition of a puzzle. But debate aside, the most unique and impressive game in this category in 2014 was The Room Two. This is a bizarre gaming experience in that’s basically a point-and-click exploration adventure, but the mystifying visuals and creeping sounds give it an atmosphere unmatched in app gaming. Puzzle elements include “solving” a model ship, firing a crossbow through a hole to open secret panels, and plenty of other challenges and gadget manipulations. This one is unique simply in its quality.

In Casinos

The casino gaming genre is one of the most repetitive of any branch of mobile app markets, so it’s actually quite difficult to find something unique. But if that is indeed what you’re looking for, the Poker In Play app from the folks at Betfair Poker online is a worthy candidate. It’s not the most extensive game out there in terms of poker competitions, but it is a refreshingly original take on the poker app. Basically, this is because the game is designed as a teaching aide of sorts, letting players play through poker games but focusing betting rounds on choosing the best hand among their own and their competitors’, rather than wagering on their own hands. It’s an interesting way to learn to spot strong hands, and a fun, original approach to poker.

In Adventure

Adventure is a tricky category to define, partially because it can encapsulate action, narrative gaming, mystery, etc. But because games in these genres tend to blend together, it’s fair to assign them one category. And in this category, no gaming app can top Device 6. Designed by the endlessly creative developers at Simogo, this app “plays with the conventions of games and literature, entwines story with geography and blends puzzle and novella,” according to its own description. That just about says it all, though it’s important to mention that the game delivers. This just has a little bit of everything, simple in execution but providing thrills, mystery, and intrigue all in one beautiful package.