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#PGCBangalore - minimalist tile puzzler Socioball is the Very Big Indie Pitch runner-up

Puzzlingly pleasing

#PGCBangalore - minimalist tile puzzler Socioball is the Very Big Indie Pitch runner-up
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iOS + iPod
| Socioball

Mumbai-based developer Yellow Monkey was delighted to have its tile-based puzzler Socioball selected as the runner-up in Pocket Gamer Connects Bangalore's Very Big Indie Pitch.

Our panel of distinguished judges picked Socioball for its clean art style, pleasing puzzle mechanics, and particularly clever Twitter integration.

You have to guide the game's titular ball to the goal in order for complete each puzzle. To do this you need to place an assortment of tiles down, of which there are eight different types, including jump tiles, switch tiles, and directional tiles.

This plays not entirely unlike an isometric 3D version of Brickhouse, or a more complex version of ChuChu Rocket!

However, where Socioball really stands out is in its level editor - or, more accurately, how it shares its levels.

You design a level in much the same way as you play. Drag tiles, drop them, playtest. The magic touch happens when you choose to share said level - it's sent out into the Twittersphere as an image alongside the level title and #socioball hashtag.

Embedded within the image is a hidden watermark, which Socioball scrapes from Twitter by tracing the #socioball hashtag. The game is then populated with extra user-generated levels from around the world.

It's ingenious stuff, and Yellow Monkey has already chosen many of its favourite user-made levels to add to the game's 70 existing levels so they don't disappear into the online ether.

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Yellow Monkey takes home a prize of 100,000 Indian rupees for its hard work, alongside an advertising package with Steel Media, Pocket Gamer's parent company.

Socioball launched on iOS back in January, and you can pick it up on the App Store right now for £2.29 / $2.99.
Danny Russell
Danny Russell
After spending years in Japan collecting game developers' business cards, Danny has returned to the UK to breed Pokemon. He spends his time championing elusive region-exclusive games while shaking his fist at the whole region-locking thing.