This Week's Waste of Time

Click now! No, wait ... now! Try it ... now!

Just when you think the simplicity trend in video gaming has climaxed, someone strips things down even further. The genre hit its addictive peak with local developer Adam Saltsman's Canabalt, but a side-scrolling action game at its core requires little more than running and jumping. Glorg puts the same ethos to work for the role-playing genre.

Role-playing games are almost defined by their painfully complex design. Created by Sweden's Martin Jonasson, aka Grapefrukt, Glorg takes all the RPG trappings – leveling up, battles, exploration, loot, weapon upgrades, etc. – and asks you only dedicate one finger to the endeavor. I recommend the index finger, but I won't stop you from experimenting. The things one can do with a finger are seemingly limitless.* There's the classic click, the click and hold, the rapid click, and the oft-forgotten release. All skills are integral to navigate your one-eyed purple hero through several floors of dungeons. Death might put you back to square one, but all the loot you've acquired stays with you for future lives. Collect enough money and you can buy a transporter to higher levels rather than having to grind through all the dungeons you've outgrown.

Most impressive is the depth of the battle system. Pressing your mouse button blocks, release the button and send a blow to your opponent. Timing is key as you try to avoid your enemy's defenses and maximize the power of your strike. The game has obvious limitations stemming from the super-simplified design, but surprisingly few.

This is what the über-accessible gaming genre (perhaps it's a trend not a genre) jumping the shark looks like. And I mean that in the positive sense.

Play Glorg here. While you're at it play Grapefrukt's other games here. I recommend In One Piece.

* Oh, nothing. I just wanted you to imagine what I'd write here.