I never thought I’d write about a pinball game so emphatically. The resources in the Android ecosystem for creating new entertainment apps are a bit same old, same old. A pinball game is a pinball game, so putting a twist on the concept without losing the essence is hardly a stellar achievement. So, let’s see, how should we define PinOut? In this endless pinball (sounds trademarkable, no?) you have to ping a ball upwards with flippers and other objects on an endless table, with the main challenge being to keep time from running out. And the formula works, by God, it really works!
The adaptation of the gameplay is – how should I put this – consistent. If you’re interested in the genre you’ll quickly be in your element. The precision of the paddles makes the ball go up different ramps that take you through the level. If the ball gets away from you, the punishment is that you lose as many seconds as it takes you to recover the ball, although there are also routes that get you extra time. That’s not the only way to scrape a few extra seconds, as you’ll also come across minigames that simulate the digital displays on the latest physical pinball machines. An orgy of LED, neon, and synthesizers.
The table is divided into sections with varying aesthetics and obstacles. You’ll go from breezily pinging the ball onto ramps to meticulously timing each hit and going from one flipper to the other and back again with the timer inexorably counting down. This climbing difficulty level will send you running to the global leaderboards to check your progress – only to see that you’re not even in the Top 500 and realize just how insignificant you are in the universe.
Mediocre, the development studio, offers the exact opposite of its name: a game that besides being completely free has no in-game ads, with a monetization system that goes down other paths. They’re also the name behind other mega interesting Android games like Does not Commute and Smash Hit. No shortage of good things to say about them, really.
Special mention for the soundtrack, which is available on Spotify and has a retrowave feel that, together with the Tron-like vibe, should tickle anyone who thinks that the best things about gaming are all behind us. All this raving about playing an Android pinball game, so just imagine how it’ll really be.
PinOut for Android [APK] | Download
More information | Official webpage
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