Squish Machine review - Rapid-fire platforming fun

Squish machine has the tight single-screen purity of a classic Spectrum or C64 platformer.

It's eminently snackable, but you might just find yourself making a surprisingly full meal out of it all the same.

Tappy tapas

Not that Squish Machine is particularly original or even especially memorable. We'd be surprised if we can easily remember it come end of year awards time.

But there's no denying it does what it does with considerable aplomb. You play the part of a cute blobby character (there are multiple variants to unlock) with a tried and tested tap-to-fly movement range.

As each single-screen stage commences, the spiked floor and ceiling start closing in on you. You have precious seconds to flap your way to the button(s) that will stop your sticky demise and end the level.

Pretty soon you'll encounter enemies that need bouncing on, mines that need avoiding, and blocks that need smashing en route to the exit.

Time flies when you're having fun

If you're doing things right, you'll be completing these levels in a small handful of seconds - perhaps taking the odd minor detour to grab some bonus coins if you're feeling particularly adventurous.

That really is all there is to Squish Machine. When you're on a roll, the levels come thick and fast. You'll be hitting level 20 and beyond in mere minutes.

Thankfully, the coin rewards are similarly fast-flowing, and before too long you'll have amassed a range of unlockable characters to play as - all purely cosmetic, so far as I can tell.

Squish of the day

Of course, with such rapid progress and such outright simplicity, there's the danger that you'll lose interest in Squish Machine as quickly as you gain it. There's no getting around that possibility.

But the controls are so tight, the barrier for entry so low, and yet the skill level so just-right, that this is unlikely to be your experience. At least, not before you've gorged on a whole bunch of tasty gaming nibbles.

You might even find that these morsels of joy have put you off much meatier gaming fare.