TwinSpin

GlobZ's TwinSpin started out as a web-based Flash game. The transition from browser to iOS a smooth one, but its humble beginnings are evident.

It's quite short on content, its presentation is plain, and it's missing features that you've probably come to expect from modern games on the App Store.

Your objective is to move a yellow and a red smiley face, connected by a black line, across a landscape of obstacles popping coloured circles. It's not the most memorable premise.

The developer's visual choices prioritise clarity over character. Hazardous objects in your path are large and clear, but unsophisticated.

In later sections there are constantly moving spiked mines that rob you of one of your heart pieces if you collide with them, taking you one step closer to having to repeat a level. You can't miss seeing them, but their design is rudimentary as they languidly drift across the green (and darker green) chequered floor.

It's a pity, because there's a fundamentally strong game buried under the lacklustre presentation. Every movement is instigated by a solitary tap on the screen as you waddle your yellow and red chums towards the soon-to-be burst coloured spheres.

Their momentum is constant and only changes direction when they come into contact with an object. You can use this to your advantage by hugging a wall and squeezing through tight corridors. But you have to be careful. It's easy to mistime a tap, graze a piece of the scenery, and send one of your coloured circles careening into spikes.

When the surface you're on turns slippery brown, icy blue, or into a fast-moving yellow conveyor, the momentum of your circles adds much needed difficulty to an otherwise short and straightforward set of 72 levels.

Once you finish everything, there's little reason to return. Game Center is not supported for leaderboards or achievements, which is an obvious oversight considering you're timed and scored on each run.

When GlobZ transposed its game to iOS, it neglected to exploit the added benefits Apple devices can bring to a title, making for a very light package. In a market saturated by action-puzzlers, that's a huge disadvantage, as there are far more attractive and fully featured alternatives on offer.