15 Coins is basically Snake. That's not a bad thing, and it adds enough of its own ideas into the mix that you're unlikely to begrudge it the close ties to its inspiration.
Especially when the additions it makes are drawn from the monochrome twitchy dodgers that have lit up the App Store in recent months.
This combination of new and old links together pretty well, and while there's a slight lack of actual game to sink your teeth into, there's a pretty solid arcade beat to proceedings that makes it hard to dislike.
Coining the termThe game is a precision dodge-'em-up that sees you weaving through clones that your own sweeps and swoops generate. You're trying to grab the 15 coins of the title, which pop up at random as you play.
Hitting a clone will kill you, ending your run. There are pulsating boxes that freeze the bad guys and let you smash into them, but you've got a tiny window of opportunity, and killing doesn't get you coins.
Your scores are tracked with every run. It's not just about grabbing the coins before you die - it's about doing it as quickly as possible as well.
There are three difficulty settings that up the speed. The lowest setting is reasonably accessible, Medium is fast enough to offer a challenge to anyone, and the hardest setting is a ridiculous blur of crashes and coins.
You can pick tilt or touch controls, and both of them are solid enough that you're unlikely to blame them when you crash into another clone.
Loose changeIn short-burst sessions 15 Coins is strong enough that you don't notice some of its flaws. Play for longer, though, and things do get a little bit repetitive.
Your progression is measured in handfuls of seconds and a few coins, and while some might find the game getting under their skin, most won't find it generating the compulsion they need to come back time and time again.
Still, there's enough here that you'll be able to suck a decent slosh of quickfire entertainment out of it.