RemiLore: Diablo meets Candy Crush

I didn't choose that title solely because RemiLore is a Hack and Slash in which you collect candies, but also to convey that it stands halfway between hardcore and casual. As such, it's bound to ruffle pretty much everyone's feathers at first — including mine. Here are a couple of things you may want to know about that game before you commit yourself to a purchase:

— It's much harder than you'd think. RemiLore may be hardly longer and deeper than your average phone game, but that doesn't mean it's a cakewalk. Mashing the A button won't do the trick and carry you through the game; this is no mere Action-RPG, but a true blue Hack and Slash, which implies subtler fighting physics and a higher level of technicality. Mastering the flow of battle through sheer exposure is crucial to progress, as each weapon and each foe has its own fighting rhythm and style.

— It's a Die and Retry thing. Not in a platformy sort of way, though: since levels are randomly generated, you won't have to learn every single enemy placement à la Ghosts' n Goblins to make it through RemiLore. Instead, it's an iterative process: you gain better weapons and abilities as you forge ahead, which allows you to progress a bit further each time, until you finally make it to the credits.

— It's utterly shallow. Not only can you forget right away about any sort of RPG mechanic involving levels, skills or customization, but you must also renounce any sort of evolution in the core gameplay. Punching things into oblivion is this game's sole reason to live, and that's what you'll be doing from the title screen to the credits. The story is so utterly futile that you're given the option to play the whole thing without cutscenes, right from the first run. If you don't like that maniacal focus on all things fighting, you'd better give RemiLore a very wide berth.

— It's both cruel and forgiving. RemiLore slaps you with one hand and strokes you with the other, in the blindest and most befuzzling — or infuriating — way.  You die and die and die again, with no save point whatsoever to preserve your hard-earned progress through levels; yet you get to keep your weapon, your upgrades and most of your hard-earned Candy. You sometimes get a handful of healing potions at once, or a bunch of amazing weapons; yet you cannot store any of them for future use. You get blessed with the sweetest upgrades, and cursed with the meanest downgrades the minute after.

— The fighting system is awesome. Not only is there a lovely physicality to all thing punching, with neat hitboxes, automatic aiming in melee and just the right density and elasticity from foes, but you can really punch it your way thanks to all the weapons and upgrades available. Want to be all about combos? You can! Want to use magic and hardly lift a finger? You can too! Well, if you get the right upgrade, that is. Which can be tricky sometimes. But still, the possibility is there! Cherry on the cake, you can destroy furniture for extra fun and Candies. It's so darn addictive that I just cannot leave a room before every single movable smashable lies in tatters.

In a nutshell: RemiLore is a cute Hack and Slash with excellent physics yet shallow gameplay. I'm not too sure there is actually a wide audience for that kind of thing — or even an audience at all, for that matter: hardcore Hack and Slash aficionados may sniff at the game's lack of depth and challenge, while casual players may be put off by its unexpected difficulty spikes. Heck, even I cannot swear I'll manage to finish it: I went in expecting a light-hearted, easy-peasy ride, and kinda got more than I bargained for. Oh well, we'll see!