Not Quite Red

Not Quite Red is a game about numbers. Numbers and dying. It's a roguelike stripped to its bare essentials, and while it's a pretty shallow experience, it still manages to be a lot of fun.

You play a knight summoned away from a fishing trip by some distress calls. From there you smack and crash your way through an army of evil, balancing your health and your attacks as you do.

It's a clever system that's augmented by magical attacks, bombs, special weapons, and acorns that turn foes to stone.

It might not be the most complex fantasy battler you'll ever download, but Not Quite Red has enough going for it that it's worthy of attention.

The game comes down to balancing the books. You have a number of attack points, represented by swords. If an enemy has three health points, it'll take three swords to whack it into oblivion.

But if you've only got two swords to spare, then you're going to take a point of damage when you crash into that bad guy.

You might be able to use one of your spells instead, or quaff a potion to top your sword-count back up. Or you might be able to chuck a bomb, a throwing star, or one of those magical acorns.

Downed foes drop loot. Some of it comes in the form of gold which you can spend at the shops you stumble across on your travels. Here you can buy offensive spells, meter filling potions, and shields that protect your health bar.

Each playthrough is about trying to get a little further than before, juggling your hit points, hitting points, and spells to try and get to the next encounter.

And it makes for an engaging little experience. Sure, it might wear thin after a little while, but there's a compulsive rhythm to proceedings that means you'll be having a ball until it does.

Not Quite Red might be a little game, but sometimes you just want to visit a fantasy realm, rather than getting lost in one.

If you've got minutes to spare, then wasting them here would be a good choice.