Publisher: Netflix
Price: Free with Netflix subscription
Size: 270 MB
Version: 1.0.5
Platform: iPhone & iPad
Did you know Netflix made games? Good games, even?
In a world where subscription fatigue, price hikes, and competing services are causing people to question their Netflix subscriptions, this is your warning to give some of these titles a shot before jumping ship. Its burgeoning gaming roster, added in 2021 as a differentiator in a crowded market, now includes more than two dozen iOS games, free with no ads or IAP if you have Netflix.
But this isn’t a Netflix Games review. We’re dialing in to perhaps the most playable game in its its lineup, Poinpy.
Poinpy is a vertical platformer in the vein of App Store classics like Doodle Jump, and you can see the influence of the developer’s previous hit Downwell, too. You’ll ascend through the levels, dodging enemies and collecting fruit to fend off the monstrous and very hungry cat giving chase from the bottom of the screen. Recipe requests line up that you’ll have to collect in a single daring combo before touching down again, giving you something to aim for while rocketing around the screen.
Although the controls are extremely simple – drag to aim, release to jump – a combination of classic Super Mario fare like double jumps, ground pounds, and wall jumps combine to make traversal feel tight and tactile. As you level up, you’ll be able to chain more and more jumps into a single combo, earning additional bounces by careening into baddies or special items.
The whole thing is so well polished, and the progression and difficulty curve perfectly balanced. But perhaps Poinpy’s strongest suit is its delightful presentation and cartoonish hand-drawn graphics, which make it a constant joy to play even when you’ve been flame-grilled by the cat monster for the tenth time in a row. There’s a fantastic end-game sequence (if you get that far), and endless and puzzle modes to unlock for a different type of challenge.
All in all, it’s exactly what we like to see from a mobile game. It’s drowning in feel-good “game juice,” with snappy arcade controls and lots of personality. If they keep releasing games this fun, it might just save Netflix.