Matterfall

There’s a simple pleasure to be taken in a nicely crafted spot of arcade shooting, a twitchy sortie of double-jumps and airdashes through waves of bullets and urgent techno soundscapes.

Finnish studio Housemarque has built a reputation on that purity of feeling, and side-scrolling shooter Matterfall is its latest attempt to distill it further. Sure enough, it’s Housemarque through and through, with just enough panache and pedigree to propel you through its three short levels before you’ve had time to think about it too much.