Coin Strike

Coin Strike is one of those games I booted up to test for ten minutes and closed forty minutes later. The idea is clean: you drag back from a token, aim a dotted line, and flick it across a tabletop to hit targets before a short timer runs out. The physics feel weighty and satisfying, with just enough bounce that trick shots off the walls become a real skill you develop.

What makes it click is the layering. Early boards are gentle, letting you learn the flick strength, but later ones scatter targets behind obstacles so you have to plan ricochets and chain hits. The editors passed the phone around trying to beat each other's clear times, which is usually a good sign. Controls are one-thumb friendly and never got in my way.

It's not a deep game and it doesn't pretend to be. But the loop is tight, the feedback is crunchy, and it loads instantly, which makes it perfect for a bus ride. I'd have liked a bit more visual variety in the backgrounds, but the core feel carries it.

What we liked

• Precise, weighty flick physics
• Great pick-up-and-play pacing
• Clever use of ricochets in later boards