You may remember that towards the end of last year, HAL Labaratory - the studio behind such franchises as Kirby, Earthbound, and Super Smash Bros. - released its first smartphone game in Japan. Now, and with a slight name change, the game has finally been released worldwide.
Now titled Part Time UFO for western audiences, the game sees you using a claw - not too dissimilar from the ones that never give you prizes at arcades - to help people with their daily tasks. The idea is used quite extensively, too, with the same mechanic being used in a variety of different ways such as stacking things on top of one another, moving furniture around, and plonking cheerleaders on each other's shoulders to create formations.
The game is available from iOS, Google Play, and Amazon stores for $3.99 / £3.99 and has no in-app purchases. This means, of course, that you'll be paying that one-off cost to play the game without having to worry about spending too much on microtransactions or having to wait for certain things to unlock later down the line.
Will you be giving this one a try?
[source toucharcade.com]
Comments 31
In a sale maybe
Now I really need to upgrade my phone. Unless this is also coming to Switch...
Isn't this an official Nintendo game then? Or is HAL like Game Freak and can do their own thing still?
A little confused. Not big on phone gaming so a likely pass either way.
Cool!
Oooooo, might have to pick this up... Can't grab it just yet, but if I remember it when I am able to...
Will definitely have to check out the video when I get a moment later...
Looks like it could be fun.
HAL has a really solid track record so anything they put it is immediately on my radar.
I'm not big on mobile gaming, but I might give this a try next time I get my hands on an iTunes card.
Seeing the influx of mobile ports to Switch, however, I might just wait for this to get ported over as well.
Already put in a good few minutes, and it has a good amount of charm between the art and the music.
It's fun and challenging, but the mechanics might be a bit frustrating for some. The objects have some weight to them which can mess with your speed and direction of flight as they swing. And since some missions require you stack things up right, there's the risk of knocking stuff over.
IMO, it's a solid mobile game that's great for quick plays.
(Side tip: I recommend slide controls instead of the default virtual joystick).
They should release Boxboy for the phones.
Is it out in Canada yet? I tried checking the Play Store but it wasn't there :/
Edit: It's on now :3
I've played a bit of this. It's excellent. If you like Kirby, Pushmo, Box Boy, etc. PLEASE consider picking this up. IAP fests have nearly destroyed the previously wonderful experimental space of mobile gaming. Supporting games like this is the only way to prevent that from disappearing entirely.
It looks gorgeous and I’d buy it on Switch in a heartbeat. Physical controls rule!
@Nincompoop Nah, for the Switch instead.
Just played it, it's funny and worth a purchace
Not the HAL game we wanted, but the HAL game we needed
I will be picking this up at some point.
YAYYYY!!!! Kinda salty about having to cough up cash, but hey, Kirby for smartphones in the future? Pretty please?
@Kirbster1992 "Kinda salty about having to cough up cash..."
I understand folks are often on a tight budget, but if we want solid, fully realized games on mobile, people really need to get more comfortable paying a few bucks for a good game.
Da heck did I just hear towards the end? o_0
This is adorbz. Will get if they port to switch.
So UFO Kirby finally has his own game. He's been waiting for this chance since 1993, haha.
@Muddy_4_Ever Yeah, i guess I understand. I mostly said that because i'm oftenly broke, but eh, that's OK.
@NerdyBoutKirby Aw hey, the Kirby Wiki admin! Great to know you're here! Love the wiki, keep up the good work!
@Ryu_Niiyama: None of my business, but you don't game on a smart device?
@NerdyBoutKirby: Nice.
@Kirbster1992 Thanks! Will do. =]
@Nincompoop I’d love boxboy on mobile. Maybe re released on switch as a bundle than Nintendo putting on mobile.
@Capt_N Nope, I do not. That is why I buy game systems. To each their own for those that do. My phone's purpose is to be a phone, PDA, and small camera/recording device for performances and practice.
@Ryu_Niiyama: To each their own, you are correct. I'm kind of a smart device gamer, provided I like the game, & it's designed for a smart device. Mostly, however, I agree with you, & predominantly everyone else here: it's better to game on a device made specifically for gaming.
I got it, it's pretty adorable. Normally I don't normally enjoy playing games on my phone, but I can make an exception for HAL.
Nope
Looks adorable and weird. I love it.
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