Gasketball for iPad Review

Editor’s Note: AppleNApps and AppTudes are venturing into a new partnership, so both sites can bring you more of what you love. This review is written and reprinted with permission by Trevor Sheridan.

Gasketball (iPad only) from Mikengreg – the makers of Solipskier – provides an answer to an important life question; how does one take basketball to the next level? The answer is simple: by adding a bunch of gadgets and gizmos to offer physics puzzle enhancements to the classic game of shooting the ball through the hoop.

In each of the levels, player are given various items and objectives to deal with to make some crazy shots. There are walls, bumpers, treadmills, transporters, gravity shifters, spinners, and more obstacles, sometimes requiring players to bounce the ball a specific number of times or on a certain item first. The fewer shots it takes you to perform the task, the better your score.

After playing a few rounds, one thing became clear: this isn’t the average game of basketball. All the potential complexities that can arrive in Gasketball‘s complex levels definitely makes for a unique physics puzzling experience.

The single player is extensive, but the highlight of the game may be multiplayer, highlighted by Game Center online H.O.R.S.E. Players spin the wheel to determine an objective, and then are given certain objects to use. The goal is to create a level you can complete, and then send the challenge to a friend or random opponent. The first one to spell horse by not completing five challenging baskets loses.

It’s a whole new way to play basketball one on one. There’s also local multiplayer with head to head on the same iPad with both players facing the same goals on the same screen. But this isn’t all open from the beginning: while free to download, there is a one-time $2.99 in-app purchase to unlock all of the content in the game.