Hole.io

Hole.io is a 2018 arcade physics puzzle game with battle royale mechanics created by French studio Voodoo for Android and iOS.

Hole.io
Developer(s)Voodoo
Publisher(s)Voodoo
Platform(s)Android, iOS
Release2018
Genre(s)Arcade
Mode(s)Single-player

Players control a black hole moving around an urban area. By consuming various objects, holes will increase in size, allowing players to consume larger objects as well as smaller players.

Critics praised the game when it debuted, and it took the top spot in the free apps section on the App Store and on Google Play. Some critics however, characterized the game as a clone of the 2018 independent game Donut County. It has also been criticized for being promoted as a multiplayer game when in fact the other "players" are computer controlled NPCs.[1]

Gameplay

Hole.io combines several gameplay mechanics. In Classic mode, the player's objective is to become the largest black hole by the end of a two minute round by travelling around the area and consuming trees, humans, cars and other objects which fall into the black hole if appropriately sized.[2] Gradually the hole becomes larger and capable of sucking in buildings and smaller black holes.[2] If an object is too big it will not fall in and might block the way preventing other objects from going through. Players need to utilize the game's real time physics to their advantage and optimize their path for effective growth.[2] Other black holes can consume the player's hole resulting in "death" and respawning several seconds later.[2][3]

"Battle" mode is a battle royale mode that pits the player against multiple opponents with the goal of being the last hole standing. While players can still consume the environment, the goal is to eliminate all other holes.[2]

Both Classic and "Battle" mode are not played against players, but rather computers. Additionally, a solo mode exists which allows players to play alone with the goal of consuming as close to 100% of the city within two minutes.[2] The simple mechanics of the game put it in the hyper-casual genre.[4]

Players are awarded points at the end of each round that count toward their level. Each level unlocks new skins to customize the hole's appearance. Other skins can also be unlocked by performing certain tasks within the game.

Comparison to Donut County

Donut County is a 2018 independent video game that was in development for at least six years before its release on 28 August 2018, sparking allegations by that game's developer that Voodoo copied his idea.[5] Both games use the same mechanic of a hole in the ground swallowing objects to grow bigger; however, Donut County additionally features a storyline and a cast of characters which Hole.io lacks.[5] Conversely, Hole.io adds a cityscape.[5] According to Variety, Hole.io's developer Voodoo's entire range of games consists of clones of other games. Voodoo managed to secure a $200 million investment from Goldman Sachs shortly after releasing Hole.io.[6]

Reception

Soon after its release, Hole.io made it to the top of the free games section on the Apps Store[7] and Google Play,[8] receiving over 10 million downloads on Google Play alone.[9]

While some reviewers criticized it for copying core mechanics of Donut County,[10] others characterized the game as being "oddly satisfying and addictive".[2]

References
  1. Jungck, Johnathan (August 1, 2018). "Mobile Gaming: The Fake Multiplayer Epidemic". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  2. Bhagat, Hitesh Raj (2018-08-11). "Hole.io review: Bright, colourful game; player with biggest black hole wins". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  3. "Hole.io Tips and Tricks". IGN. 2 July 2018.
  4. "The monumental rise of hyper-casual games". Mobile Industry Eye.
  5. Ore, Jonathan (6 July 2018). "Maker of Donut County is shocked when a free knock-off beats his game to the market". CBC. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  6. Futter, Michael (2018-07-06). "Goldman Sachs-Backed Cloner Uses War Chest, Ad Buys to Overshadow Original Games". Variety. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  7. Radulovic, Petrana (6 July 2018). "Donut County lookalike is number one on the App Store". Polygon.
  8. Taş, Yunus (18 July 2018). "Mobile App Success Story: Hole.io". AppSamurai.
  9. "Hole.io on Google Play". IGN. 2 July 2018.
  10. D'Anastasio, Cecilia (6 June 2018). "Indie Games Are Getting Cloned Before They're Even Out". Kotaku.
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