One More Line by SMG Studios

If ever a game could be simply described as posh, it would be SMG Studio's One More Line. Much more than a pleasure to the senses, this game brings a heavy dose of that rip-your-hair-out, seconds-to-death kind of hardcore gameplay that has been propagating heavily throughout the indie and mobile gaming industries, all with incredibly slick visuals and a soundtrack that will have you wondering where to buy it!

According to the developer, I get respect!

At its core, One More Line is an infinite jumper, except the jumping mechanic has been replaced with a circular grappling mechanic that adds both a unique twist (ha, see what I did there?) and some insidious challenge. The tricky part is in the way you spin around as you grapple onto a point; it's incredibly easy to be at just the right distance to spin around into another point and *bam*. You also have to be careful to stay within the side boundaries, though you can cross over them as long as you've grappled onto something.

Interestingly, this game is deeper than it seems at first. The more you play it, the more you start to tease out little strategies and understand just how this game works, and once you "get it", it'll have you to Terry Cavanaugh levels of rage as you furiously try to beat your score. My initial reaction to the game was quite tepid, but it's the game's style that kept me coming back just long enough until I was hooked.

OMG, what even happened here?

With graphics that perfectly blend the styles of modern, flat design and retro 70's swirlies, every run through the game is almost like a piece of art. Your circle leaves an ever-changing trichromatic trail behind it, and every death is followed by a nice look back at your run as the game moves back to the starting position. The game even lets you save a snapshot of your death screen, either to show off your amazing score or the beautifully ridiculous pattern you drew trying not to blow it.

The poshness doesn't end there -- the music is downright infectious. I wouldn't say it's the greatest song I've ever heard, but it's been stuck in my head for days now... it has that quality. In fact, the music is so catchy that you'll just be getting into the groove of the music when you go boom and hear it all wind to a halt, and it makes dying just that much more frustrating!

One More Line is a beautiful example of a simple game done with love and craftsmanship. The gameplay is joyously frenetic and frustrating, and the art and sound design are equally engaging, but more than that, these different aspects all come together harmoniously into a game that's blatantly worth the free download and undeniably worth the couple dollars to remove the ads and support the developer. If you can give it just enough patience until it sinks into your psyche, you'll keep coming back again and again for one more line.