Conceptually, making games with very basic controls you’d assume would streamline the game design process and get you out to market faster. Perhaps that would be true, if it weren’t for the greater truth that the simpler your design is, the less you have to work with, and the better your core idea needs to be in order to make a sustainable experience. Having played quite a lot of games on the Switch that have had either only one or two buttons driving all of the action, I can only think of a small handful that have really worked well, with the rest being more of a novelty. 

As you may have guessed, Direction Quad is a title that decided to go that route, and while you can make any button your go to for the action, this is a one-button game that will quickly prove that it doesn't make things easy. While your goal will ultimately be to simply make your way safely to the finish line, of course each stage will also include some temptations, in this case in the form of both coins and some tasty flies. All you have the ability to do is go diagonally left or right, taking your current course into consideration, alternating which of those directions you’ll move with the press of a button.

Where the challenge quickly kicks in is that while you’re able to course correct left or right, without hitting bumpers that are arranged along the walls you won’t be able to change the ultimate direction you’re moving in. Since you only have one button you won’t have the option to go right, and then right again, you can only alternate those directions with each press, meaning that in order to make actual turns you’ll need to aim yourself at some bumpers that will then alter your actual course. This does take some getting used to, and even when I was used to it I would periodically find myself thinking I could make a turn that I couldn’t, pointing to a need to really plot out the whole level in your mind like it’s a maze, working out how you’ll need to maneuver in order to grab what you want and ultimately get to the finish line without hitting anything.

In terms of scoring, because of the mix of both simplicity and the degree of challenge, it’s a bit of a tough one. I do wish there could have been some sort of indicator to help clue you in to what major direction you were headed in, reducing confusion and maybe eliminating some needless deaths, but otherwise this feels like an idea implemented as intended, and I respect that. The issue is that more than most games out there this is very much a love it or hate it proposition, and it doesn’t feel like most people will land in the middle given its difficulty. If you’re looking for a challenge without a lot of complexity, this will deliver just that though.