I’m a sucker for pixel art. No matter how many years have passed since the retro era, I’m still fond of that old school style. Kind of like hand-drawn animation over CGI, I’m at least there to take a look at something even if the game isn’t necessarily worth playing. That’s what initially drew me to Combo Queen ($1.99). While it’s a bit too simplistic to warrant extended play, the art style is worth checking out at the very least.

At its core, Combo Queen is an on-rails hack and slash. That sounds odd, but the concept melds well with the mobile platform, as the Queen simply moves from skirmish to skirmish unfettered as you handle the real action. As you can expect, those combat sessions are done by way of tapping. No more, no less, you’ll only really need to master one action. That said, tapping is way easier said than done, as you’ll have to master the timing, lest you get absolutely destroyed by the very first foe.

To judge when to tap a small translucent neon square appears on-screen, slowly moving into the enemy until the moment to strike arrives. Simply tap at that exact moment and you’re good to go. If not, you’ll miss and take a beating. The trick is really tapping at the perfect moment, as the window of opportunity is incredibly small. That’s what separates Combo Queen from a lot of the slash-pack — it’s incredibly difficult to consistently get in that window.

To really get far you’ll have to chain hits, which will save you health in the longrun as it renders them unable to counter-attack. Think of it as a rhythm game in that sense, but with a punishingly small margin for error. The good news is that if you really strive to learn the timing, Combo Queen rewards you with a pretty rockin’ chiptune soundtrack and satisfying animations as you plow through enemies and turn them into gems.

While the core gameplay is definitely compelling if you’re looking for a challenge, the longevity isn’t really there. There are a few extra items to buy that range from cosmetic to useful (extra combo hits or armor), but nothing is really exciting, or fundamentally changes the tap tap tap style or same-looking environments. You’ll gain experience as you progress which is nice, and you’ll even keep it if you constantly die, but true progression feels like a crawl.

Maybe with a fully featured story, a world map, and multiple paths to pursue, Combo Queen could have been a really cool action-RPG hybrid. Instead it’s a rather limited rhythm title that isn’t going to appeal to everyone — especially if you don’t have the patience to painstakingly learn the ins and outs of the system.