The Makers of HoPiKo Want You to Play PKTBALL

Remember HoPiKo? It was that funky little platformer from last year that everybody was raving about, and with good reason. Its creators, Laser Dog Games, are gearing up for their next pocket release — and if you have a soft …

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Remember HoPiKo? It was that funky little platformer from last year that everybody was raving about, and with good reason. Its creators, Laser Dog Games, are gearing up for their next pocket release — and if you have a soft spot for Pong, you’re going to want to check this out.

PKTBALL is an endless free-to-play game that challenges players to keep a ball in motion by batting it back and forth against the AI. You’ll need crazy quick reflexes though, as Laser Dog isn’t really a company that embraces the concept of “slow.” There will be plenty of power-ups to keep things wacky (check out the fishball in the trailer below to see what I mean), and the promise of multiplayer for up to four people on the same device.

But what really has me intrigued is their monetization that utilizes a model they call “clean-freemium.” Rather than forcing pop-up ads or limiting players with energy systems, the game will do nothing to impede your play. Instead, if you’d like to thank the developer for their hard work, you’ll be able to make in-app purchases of purely cosmetic upgrades. You’ll also be able to opt-in on advertising should you choose to. The team detailed the whole idea in a recent blog post that’s well worth a read.

It’s a model that reminds me of what Darrin Henein created for Lastronaut (though they didn’t have the ads), and as a player, the experience was great. Fingers crossed we have the same glowing feelings about PKTBALL when it launches. Expect it April 7th on the App Store.

Jim Squires is the Editor-in-Chief of Gamezebo. Everything you see passes his eyes first, so we like to think of him as "the gatekeeper of cool stuff." He likes good games, great writing, and just can't say no to a hamburger. Also, he is not a bear.