Boson X

Boson X is like Temple Run with the physical layout of Tempest, but the geometric minimalism and twitch gameplay bring to mind Super Hexagon so much that if you liked that game, it’s practically guaranteed that you’ll like this one. The premise is that you’re a scientist running and jumping through a particle accelerator so stylized it’s unrecognizable as such. That’s pretty much it, but the game makes the most of it, with wild, shifting levels that test every facet of the movement controls. Said controls are rather unintuitive – holding left or right prolongs your jump just as holding up does, rather than shifting multiple lanes – but once you adjust, smoothly flying through a level is satisfying.

Other things can’t be adjusted to, however, like the unbalanced procedural generation that doesn’t realize how much easier and harder certain obstacle patterns are. The visual design is either an eye-popping treat or astonishingly inconvenient for gameplay purposes; it varies from moment to moment. The all-important soundtrack is more consistent, and while it’s not up to Super Hexagon standards, it’s still pretty good. Overall, I was often frustrated with Boson X, but I also kept coming back to it.