Ordia, the ninth pick in our rundown of the best games of the year so far, is a single-finger platformer from developer Loju. It’s also the newest game to be featured here, having only just released earlier this month.

Ordia

As a one-eyed ball of goo, you’ll start out by launching yourself from the bubbling primordial ooze to the endless caverns above. The goal is to continue working your way forever upwards, hopping between handpoint nodes and dodging the odd spike or hungry worm as you go.

It’s all controlled with one finger in a way that’s somewhat similar to Angry Birds. It’s a system that feels simplistic at first, but, as you progress, you’ll need to get good at making micro adjustments to the direction and angle of each jump.

To complicate matters, every level has 10 well-hidden collectables to track down. Though, if you’d rather just concentrate on the core platforming, you can ignore the side content and optional time trials entirely.

Visually, it’s clean – full of muted blues and greens – and occasionally reminiscent of 2009’s PixelJunk Shooter. While it might not be the most out-there aesthetic, it’s a style that works well and never gets in the way of the action.

And that focus on ease of use extends to the game’s level progression. Skipping levels is a very valid option if you happen to get stuck, and it means that everything plays out to suit your preference and personal pace.

It’s a perfectly put together package for both casual platformer fans and enthusiasts alike. And what it might lack in originality, it more than makes up for in playability and pure enjoyment.