The merge idea with a lower ceiling and a colour-coded board. Tiles are distinguished by colour first and number second, which makes patterns readable at a glance.

The shorter target changes the pace usefully. A full run takes a few minutes rather than half an hour, so it suits a break rather than a session, and the reduced length means a single mistake is not fatal.

The colour coding is a real advantage if you find number grids hard to scan quickly — you can see the shape of the board without reading it. Worth trying if standard 2048 feels more like arithmetic than puzzling.

A good on-ramp, and pleasant on its own terms.