Parents' Guide to Metrico+

Though steeped in side-scrolling platformer traditions, this creative arcade game sets itself apart by having you manipulate the world instead of the world manipulating you. In Metrico+, you have to do the usual bunch of running and jumping to get from one end of a sadistic obstacle course to another. But while similar games have you avoiding traps and jumping at just the right moment, this one has the world being changed by your movements. For instance, a platform may rise or lower every time you jump. Or it may rise as you get close to it and lower as you move away. Or it may rise when you move but not jump. There are even times when the answer to your problem, oddly, is to kill yourself. Aiding you in figuring things out are the numerical values attached to objects. If one, for instance, has an "8/8" next to it, it could mean it will rise or fall every time you jump but only eight times. It's all very clever but also can be rather frustrating at times if you're not adept at both problem-solving and split-second timing.

This is also rather bare-bones. You can't, for instance, turn the music on or off, which is a problem since it's way too loud relative to the game's sound effects. As for how Metrico+ compares to the original Vita version, Metrico, it mostly looks the same, but the controls work a bit better. Which is good because when this gets clever, it's not only a fun game but a challenging one as well.