I’ve been reviewing a lot of games on Steam lately, and most of them have been RPG or turn-based games such as Quest for Infamy or Heroes and Legends: Commanders of Kolhar. This game Gauge was not at all what I expected.

I’ve already talked about the simplicity of mobile games in my review of Disney’s Tsum Tsum. It’s very interesting to see how the mobile revolution has really changed the field of gaming, and how often the simplest of Angry Birds or Candy Crush Saga can really sweep the market.

In the case of Gauge, I have to say that the game is almost too simple. See that screenshot here? That isn’t an old Atari 2600 game, it is Gauge. All the game is pressing the space bar and then releasing it before the it expands too far and touches the edges. If the gauge hits the edges, it takes off a life. You have three lives, and this is all this game is. Seriously, that’s it.

Granted, there is some interesting things as you go further, but the game is really an exercise in discipline and eyehand coordination. What is really interesting is the way the spirit of the game is played out. At the beginning is this weird retro look, and when you lose, it doesn’t just say “Game Over” it says “This One Counted for Nothing”. That is just downright depressing. It’s as if you are stuck in a bomb shelter during a nuclear war, and this is your only source of entertainment.

Seriously, I don’t know how else to describe it. If you want to get it on Steam, check it out. It could be your newest addiction.