We are living in modern times and it seems like traditional games have taken the backseat. Or so we think. A number of Philippine-based mobile app developers have recently released games based on traditional Filipino games. Here are three Filipino mobile games you must try.
Hit the Can
Hit the Can is proudly made by Aeus Tech, an Ilonggo startup making mobile apps. The game is based on the traditional Filipino game tumbang preso.
You will be playing as Ace, a young boy who is set at becoming the best slipper-thrower at the National Hit The Can Tournament. Your strategic skills will be tested in more than 100 levels spread throughout 7 chapters of the game. At each level, your main objective is to hit the can while dodging various obstacles in a number of different settings, including city streets, fields, classrooms, farmlands and beaches. You can catch a preview in the game’s official trailer below:
Launched just last month, Hit the Can is currently only available from the iTunes App Store. However, Android users can expect a version for their devices anytime soon.
Patintero Playtime
The 15.8 MB game by Zeenoh virtually depicts the popular Filipino street game. And like the traditional game, players of Patintero Playtime must ensure their team is the first to cross the grid or block the first team from crossing in order to win. To spice up the game, players have 3 power-ups, namely speed, time, and coins (10 and 20 points). The game, which is currently available on the iTunes Store only, has a time limit of 2 minutes.
Oh My Gravity
Oh My Gravity, or OMG for short, has been called a Flappy Bird-Like game, and it does kind of resemble the viral game.
It centers on the same laws of physics, but instead of a bird, you’ll be an astronaut navigating your way through space filled with junk and whatnot. The main objective of the game is to avoid hitting the space objects to survive. How long you survive will all depend on how well you tap the screen, yes, like Flappy Bird.
However, the game is the exact opposite of Dong Nguyen’s Flappy Bird when it comes to aesthetics. While Flappy Bird has a bright and colorful interface, Oh My Gravity has a black-and-white appearance that resemble the same retro look of the early computer games like pong or space invaders. Victor Barreiro Jr. of Rappler credits the game’s interface as bringing a “certain depressing futility in playing” that “without an update … [could] make it a challenge without any emotional payoff”. Still, it’s an interesting game to play if you’re missing Flappy Bird by any chance.
The game, which is one of the first games to have been featured in Android Wear, is available for free from Google Play, iTunes and Amazon.