I’m always on the lookout for solid mobile games. They seem to be getting better by the month, and what’s more, they’re a great distraction whenever I feel the itch to go on social media. In my search, I’ve gravitated toward free-to-play games like Cookie Run: Kingdom and Brawl Stars — games that don’t soak the experience in ads at every corner. And this week, I found my new favorite mobile game in the unlikeliest of places: Netflix.
Poinpy, the new game from Downwell creator Ojiro Fumoto, was announced during the Netflix event during Summer Game Fest last week. To get the game, all you need is an active Netflix subscription. From there, you need to get the mobile app, log in, and search “Poinpy,” and it’ll take you to the download. Trust me: It’s well worth it.
The popular roguelike shooter Downwell took us deeper and deeper down an endless hole. Poinpy, on the other hand, is an upper in every sense of the term. For one, you’ll literally be springing endlessly upward. Furthermore, the game will buoy your spirits with its charming 2D art style and bubbling soundtrack from Calum Bowen (Pikuniku and Nintendo’s Snipperclips).
The premise is simple and reminiscent of the 2010s era of app gaming: Pull backward to spring Poinpy upward. As you jump and wall kick your way up a column filled with platforms and enemies, you’ll need to collect the right constellation of fruit to create a delicious and nutritious fruit smoothie for the giant monster trying to eat you at the bottom.
Don’t mind its cutesy exterior — the game is delirious and smooth as hell. You get a limited number of jumps that reset once you land and feed the fruit to the monster. Each time you jump, however, you get a slow-motion scene where you can change the direction of your character. There’s also a “slam” mechanic where you can careen onto the tops of enemies and pots to get a small boost back into the air, regenerating a jump in the process.
The game moves breathtakingly fast — you can ruin a run within a matter of moments if you mess up two smoothies or get hit by two enemies. And since I’m not, like, a gaming god, my runs tend to last a few minutes. If, like me, you’re bad at these kinds of games, there’s a puzzle mode that shows some of the unique mechanics of each zone. Taken together, all the little mechanics allow you to chain together delicious combos that are enough to put Neo’s slow-motion antics to shame.
Despite being free (well, free with a Netflix subscription, that is) Poinpy is as compelling as some of the best paid mobile games out there. If you don’t have an Apple Arcade subscription, or you’re looking for that next game to pass the time that you’d otherwise be wasting on social media, Poinpy is an absolute blast.
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Source: Polygon
