Flinthook

It's hard to fault this action game with its charming graphics, energetic soundtrack, and fast-paced action that's easy to pick up and hard to put down. But after you spend a decent amount of time with the game, though, you'll start to see the randomly generated rooms in each level more as work than a fun challenge. That's because for all of its embellishments, you're basically doing the same thing all the time: zipping around each room with a grappling hook, defeating the enemies that randomly appear, and then exploring the map more to do it all again. There's a bigger loop at play, too, which is that as you level up you're able to unlock permanent upgrades or equippable perks that help make the difficulty level more manageable.

The repetition in the game isn't necessary a knock against it, since it only becomes apparent when you play for marathon sessions, which Flinthook easily inspires. Not a lot of games use a grappling hook, and the extra ability to momentarily slow time down allows you to routinely do some ridiculous acrobatics as you avoid bullets and environmental hazards. Also impressive is the fact that you'll be able to master these skills pretty much out of the gate without much practice needed at all. The random generation helps provide a sense of variety in the game, making it perfect for quick sessions or another of those "one more game" titles.