Bounce

It might have aspirations of being the next cool, minimalistic, super-challenging time waster, but Bounce takes all of its core materials from one of the earliest App Store hits.

Essentially, Bounce is Doodle Jump with a cool paint job and the difficulty level cranked up.

But is that enough in 2015?

Rather than a hand-sketched, long-snouted mascot, Bounce sees you taking command of a simple bouncy ball.

As it commences bouncing on the base platform, you must press the left and right sides of the screen to steer it towards the next, higher platform. The pressure is on to keep climbing, because dropping off the bottom of the screen means failure

Naturally, there are plenty of obstacles standing in your way beyond simple failing to ascend. There are platforms that move or crumble, clock hand-like spikes that skewer, falling balls that distract and obstruct, and combustible objects that spell instant game-over.

All of these platforms and destructive objects - as well as those that enhance your prospects, such as the obligatory spring - are rendered in the same, simple block-colour fashion as your ball.

It looks pretty stylish, if a little unoriginal, but this stripped-back art style also proves remarkably instructive. Your brain registers what's going on instantly, allowing you to react quickly.

Which is handy, because Bounce is a little trickier than your average endless climber. The field of play feels more restrictive, offering you fewer ways to ascend, while your ball's bounce height often feels barely enough to get the job done. Plus there are lots more ways to die.

It makes for an experience that's fun and intuitive, but simultaneously frustrating and - critically - a little uninspired. We've played this a dozen times before, and we have no doubt you have too.

It's a perfectly decent endless climber, smartly updated for 2015, but there's no disguising Bounce's somewhat tired core.