I love nice surprises, and Crystal Towers 2 is definitely one of those. Developed by David Newton, it's a platformer that takes inspiration from a variety of old-school gaming experiences, including the likes of Sonic, Mario and Castlevania.

You are a wizard who is tasked with retrieving the special gems that hold the world together, and you do so by exploring an overworld and then entering Sonic/Mario-like levels and collecting everything you can. There are multiple routes scattered around, secrets to be found and spells to be learnt. It's funny, it's charming, it's entertaining - it's an absolute blast, basically.

There's a free version available to download that contains around 15% of the full game - but in all honesty, by the time you've finished that part, you'll be begging to shell out the $5 for the full experience. Head over to the official site for all the details. (Cheers Chris!)