VernX

VernX is a load of balls. That's not a slur - VernX is, quite literally, a load of balls: a collection of tiny little red and yellow particles that bounce around the screen on command.

It feels entirely at home on iPhone, but that doesn't mean putting your finger on exactly what VernX is becomes any easier. There are certainly elements of gameplay here, though VernX feels more like an executive toy, the kind of light bite folk will tackle after driving home in their Mercedes before digging into supper with the wife.

That's not to say that what's on offer here is easy or in anyway throwaway. It's just a more forgiving, relaxing ride than other puzzlers - if indeed that's what it is.

With no time limit and one very simple goal - get your bunch of balls from the opening on one side of the screen to the exit on the other - VernX is accessible to any and all. The only skill needed is the ability to tip your phone left and right – and sometimes all the way around - to guide said balls through labyrinthine levels.

With time on your side, the pools of yellow acid and sliding blocks squashing and burning your particles to oblivion are only a temporary setback. Every ball you lose reappears at the start of the map.

You might think this a blessing, but it's one that causes control complications. Tipping your phone one way to move one set of balls also moves all the others, possibly dropping those regenerated balls into the jaws of danger all over again.

This essentially makes VernX a game of multi-management, the best tactic being to get all your red balls through in one go rather than letting them seep through in small parties.

Not that you're penalised for doing so. Though your progress is timed, it's entirely up to you whether you take the ticking clock seriously.

Success depends on your ability to get your balls to the exit, whether it takes 24 seconds or 24 hours (battery withstanding). This is a very personal challenge on the whole, the notion of scoreboards and the like entirely out of step with VernX's minimalist, almost art house style.

Instead, the game's additional mode reflects its loose take on puzzling. Sandbox mode's structure comes with no purpose whatsoever other than to offer visual splendor, the balls bouncing around a collection of expertly crafted levels with no entries or exits.

Just how much of your time such a mode will take up is a matter of conjecture: nonetheless, it's still a refreshing take on the kind of extras expected from the average puzzler.

Just whether VernX can be classified as such is the real debating point, however. In terms of pure gameplay, there are plenty of other puzzle titles that offer much more, tapping into fast and frenetic play that would seem almost alien if set in VernX's world.

Yet, this is a domain that has a charm of its own, and while it's tricky to rate and to quantify something so abstract, it's certainly not difficult to enjoy.