Paragon Infinite

If a paragon is defined as a "model of excellence" or the "perfect example of a particular quality" it's hard to work out what quality Paragon Infinite epitomises.

Perseverance, perhaps, or the ability to hum pitch-perfect electro-industrial tunes hours after you first heard them.

Whatever it is, BipolarDesign's entry into the popular Flappy Jam contest certainly gets a lot right.

While most of the entries into the jam ended up being carbon copies of that infamous bird-based classic, Paragon Infinite is actually more of a spin-off of the developer’s previous PC release, Paragon.

You will die

The first Paragon was a buoyant romp. You bounced from pixel to pixel in a leisurely quest for gems. Paragon Infinite on the other hand is an endless struggle for life.

Seriously, if the ball in Paragon Infinite had a facial expression it would be something like the look Indiana Jones wears as he sprints away from that giant boulder.

"AAAAAAAH" screams the ball, as you ricochet it past obstacles and the "spiky wall of death" creeps ever closer. "AAAAAH THIS IS NOT WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR!"

Unfortunately for the ball the game is essentially an endless runner, and at some point that wall, and death, will catch up with it.

You rack up points in Paragon Infinite for keeping that ball alive as long as possible. Passing an obstacle will earn you one point - so the further you navigate, the higher your score.

The ball travels back and forth on a magnetic rail, and only launches forward at a 45 degree angle when you tap the screen.

Time it right and it'll pass through gaps in the obstacles to the next magnetic rail. Time it wrong and it'll bounce backwards into the path of the "game over" laser wall.

Every ten obstacles you pass will the difficulty increases. Expect new obstacles with bigger distances between them.

Flappy who?

It’s a huge step up from Flappy Bird, adding a whole new dimension of innovation. Precise mechanics means the game's physics feel satisfyingly realistic, and each successful landing releases a rush of serotonin.

Paragon Infinite's soundtrack also earns particular plus points, all grungy electric guitars and fist pumping riffs. Mix that in with some gloriously retro sound effects and four graphical skins, and you have a real recipe for success.

This is just the base model though. For 60p you can unlock the full game's potential, including new graphic sets, upgraded music, no ads and new game modes.

"Spikeless" removes the laser wall of death, "Long Jump" increases the distance between obstacles and "Algophoboa" racks up the game's speed and difficulty level to boot.

By no means a one trick pony, Paragon Infinite proves that endless tappers don’t have to be Xerox clones of Flappy Bird.

It's incredibly polished, marred only by the fact that - even with the extra game modes - after the 45th attempt the shine starts to wear thin. So out of the ten sugar lumps in my pocket, it can have eight.