I have a weakness for games that yell out phrases like “neato!” and “godlike!” as I frantically press buttons and scan the screen, attempting to get my fingers to move as quickly as my brain. Unfortunately, my skills in the Playdate game XTRIS are far from godlike, but there’s something about the classic arcade announcer voice that convinces me each time, “this is the one where I’ll finally make it to the top of the leaderboard.” (It never happens, though).

XTRIS is a $4 game developed by Fletch Makes Stuff, where you chase a moving X around a grid consisting of four, five, or six tiles. You have 60 seconds to land on the X as many times as possible. Each X you collect will dramatically fall off the grid and add to your score, which is subtly displayed in the background.

It may sound simple, but trust me, it’s not. The X moves rapidly, and as you pursue it using the D-pad to control a black square, things get increasingly intense. The music builds up like a timer counting down, and flames start rising from the bottom of the screen. Meanwhile, the announcer (voiced by Jordan Carroll) is shouting encouraging words that start to feel a bit ominous towards the end. It’s marvelously chaotic. Despite its relatively basic presentation, XTRIS truly delivers on its promise of “juicy arcade action directly into the palm of your hand.”

For each of the three levels — Tetromino, Bridge, and Squiggle — you can compare your scores with others and see how you rank. After playing a level several times, you’ll be shown your own score trends, helping you track your progress (or lack thereof). I always tell myself, “just one more try” after finishing a round, and we all know how that usually ends.

There’s also a Zen Mode for each level, allowing you to hone your skills without the time pressure and accompanied by a more relaxing soundtrack. If you dig through the menu, you can even find unlockable characters and symbols to change the game’s appearance, replacing the X with something like a frog or a slice of pizza. XTRIS is now available on the Playdate Catalog.