Jeff Minter’s latest creation, Deflex [$1.99], a psychedelic puzzle game inspired by a previous Llamasoft release for pre-1985 machines like the VIC-20, is now available on the App Store.

As Blake discovered when he got his hands on a pre-release build a couple of weeks back, Deflex isn’t the easiest game in the world to pin down. The goal in each of its 52 levels is to take a ball and ‘absorb’ on-screen objects and characters with it. That’s simple, but the core mechanic makes this a trickier task than it appears on paper.

Here’s the rub: the ball needs to be controlled like a pinball does in a machine, so you’ll need to put down flippers to propel it into objects. The more flippers you add, though, the more intense and mind-boggling the action gets. Blake spent many a word describing this and the game’s constituent parts, so check the write-up out if you’re interested.

I’m continually fascinated by the ideas and visuals used in Minter’s games, so I’ll be checking this out alongside those of you who choose to dig in now. Also, we’ll be doing more with Deflex in the future, so stay tuned if you’re on the fence.