The element of masochism brings its own chance to show off as well, of course. So why do we play these instant-death, masochistic games? The only thing you can do is die, and then start over and play again, and again, and again. In these games, you are always just a moment away from losing, and there is no way to actually 'win'.

In contrast, Flappy Bird has more in common with other modern mobile games like Timberman and Flappy Bird. The original Frogger had lives and levels and second chances galore - it still didn't hold your hand as much as modern games do, but the instinct was clearly there. It's not exactly difficult - per se - but make a single mistake and the game is over, it resets to zero and you start from scratch with nothing to show for your effort. It's a lot of fun, but what makes Crossy Road even more memorable is how unforgiving it is. The Poop Pidgeon leaves behind a trail of 'leavings' as it progresses, and the Celebrity explodes in a shower of banknotes when hit. Many of the characters add special effects though - the Unihorse is trailed by a rainbow, while playing as the Dark Lord turns the screen red and sets trees on fire. The only measure of your score is the distance you're able to travel - there is money, which is earned slowly, or you can spend real money to speed things up, but the only reward is to unlock new characters that have no impact on the gameplay. For one, the aesthetic of the game is finely tuned, balancing between irony and genuine good humour. We could go on making fun of the game for its too-cool-for-school demeanour, but the truth is that Hipster Whale manages to pull it off. So it should probably come as no surprise that Crossy Road is made by a company called Hipster Whale. The game actually has options to turn off shadows and reduce the detail on screen to improve your battery performance, despite looking like a game you would have played 20 years ago.

It retains the core concept of crossing a road where cars criss cross threatening to run you over at every turn, and pairs that with deliberately blocky visuals that at first glance hide the graphical complexity of the game. The latest viral hit doing the rounds on iOS devices is Crossy Road, a faux retro remake of Frogger.

How to make crossy road in scratch