Higher!
I am generally an instant-gratification kind of guy, and I like my games to have a point. But even I love Higher!, despite its lack of story. The premise is simple, and a fairly predictable if slightly skewed version of the film UP! [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/755-Up] - You want to ride your house into the stars, and very fortunately, helium balloons have a tendency to fly past your house. Unfortunately, exploding mines are falling from space, which is hampering your efforts somewhat.
The controls are basic enough to be effective - collect coins and balloons by moving your mouse over them, click and drag bombs to throw them into other bombs to collect more coins, buy upgrades from the pause menu - and the way the game saves your best height always inspires you to go just one metre further. The beautiful piano music is a joy to listen to, making this a perfect game to relieve stress.
Or so you would think.
When you attach a balloon to your floating maison, the bar in the top left fills somewhat. When it is full, a surprise happens. This is one of two things - many coins fall from the sky, or many mines do. Both of these are definitely not positive. The coins rush by so fast, you can only grab a couple before they're gone, making the mines ironically a more financially efficient option. Worse, the coins can hide mines, which can knock you down a long way. However, with the mine surprise, it is almost guaranteed you will fall several hundred metres, but you get a lot more coins from them. Mines always spawn at the top of the screen, so no matter whether you are rising or falling, there is no reprieve. The size of the mines' click-and-drag area also feels slightly imperfect and missing a couple in a row can be painful.
These are things you will get used to, however, and overall the game is a beautiful creation of simplicity and design.
But don't come crying to me when things take a turn for the worse and you come crashing down to earth.
