Ponkle

[i]Ponkle[/i] is a vertical runner, in which you have to reach the top of the level by jumping from platform to platform with a cute star. It has a perpetual movement that you cannot stop, but you can change its direction by bouncing off the left and right edges of the level. Obviously there are both static and moving spikes that you will have to dodge, otherwise your star will die upon contact with them and you will need to restart the level. To compensate for this, there are several types of power-ups that you can pick up throughout the level. These spawn randomly and either give you a shield or increase your speed, with the ultimate one being the power rocket - an item that will propulsate you towards the top of the level, skipping through a considerable amount of platforms in the process. There is an increasing difficulty, but the game keeps a casual and relaxing pace overall; hunting for the rocket power-ups make it quite fun to play for me. The levels are randomly generated, which means that if you die you’ll get a brand new level setup and this broke the monotony that otherwise would have maybe been an issue. In the initial version of the game, there were a few issues with …

Ponkle is a really lovely little game! What you see is pretty much what you get and I really appreciate that. The difficulty does ramp up slowly but never gets too wild, and the game is refreshingly free of any burdensome and unnecessary systems. If like me you're looking for more quaint little games to enjoy in bite sized chunks I very much recommend Ponkle. I've been clearing 10 stages at a time every other evening or so and I'll soon have cleared level 100.