Switch 'N' Shoot

A really cool and creative example of minimalism in both design and controls. Switch N Shoot is a one button game that plays sort of like a fixed shooter of the late 70s early 80s, except your ship is always moving (and screen-wrapping) and you use the same button to simultaneously shoot and switch direction. On the design side what I found most intriguing was that your progression through the game's stages is not tied to kills (which are 1:1 equivalent to score in this game) or to time or anything like that, but rather to the powerups you collect. Each one makes your weapon stronger, as expected, and once you collect enough of them your weapon is reset and you are warped to the next stage. Where it gets tricky though is that if you ever miss a powerup you lose a weapon level, and this can become very punishing on later stages. In the end I'd say it's a very simple but elegant game, that some will likely find too repetitive or too primitive to bother with, but for me it was polished and felt genuinely great to play and improve at. Surprisingly addicting.

This game is very short, it can be 100% in about 3-4 hours. I really enjoyed the fast-paced arcade-like gameplay, but it is very difficult to get a hang of. At first, you would die in about 10 seconds. It's quite frustrated at times, but it feels very rewarding. I recommend this game if you don't mind spending much a few dollars and are not easily frustrated, because DAMN it is difficult.

awesome brain-off game!

This is just a really fun game, introduced to me by Dustin Wilcox of Wilcox Arcade who has the physical arcade version in Murray, KY. I found it on steam and have been addicted to it ever since. The simplicity of the controls allows anyone to play it, but it is actually very difficult, My high score is currently at 640 (updated to 2544). I recommend it to anyone with time to kill, much better than scrolling social media. Need an android version!

I played this game first at Know-A-Guy in Murray, KY via Wilcox Arcade machine and fell in love with the game. Very Space Invaders/Galaga coded, but with only 1 button. Very difficult and interesting gameplay and difficult boss fight

It's fast, fun, and quick-to-learn, but difficult to master. Very addicting, with a great gameplay loop. You'll want to keep chasing that high score!