Hiqup

Most people have played games similar to PegJump either on the iPhone or on an actual piece of wood with golf tees stuck all over it… the idea is to clear a board (except for the last peg) by jumping other pegs out of existence.

Moopf took this simple concept and wrote an entirely new rulebook for it, and thus Hiqup was born.

The first thing I noticed about Hiqup is that it has a tutorial! My first thought was oh crap… this is gonna hurt… but it’s really not that bad. The tutorial is really well done and it walks you through all of the twists and turns that Hiqup introduces into the peg-jumping game genre. It explains how to use blackholes, teleports, special spaces, bombs… things you’ve probably never seen in a game like this. They’re all simple enough to use and make for some pretty engaging puzzles that become increasingly difficult the more you play.

The other major change that Hiqup throws into the game is three different types of pieces. Blue pieces move like a Rook in chess, in straight lines that go horizontally or vertically. Green pieces are like a Bishop, moving only diagonally. Red pieces are like a Queen, and can go in any direction. Hiqup is nothing like chess, I’m just throwing out those comparisons because that’s how my poor brain is wired.

If you’re too lazy to think through all the strategies and possible moves that come with blackholes, bombs, and colored pieces, “classic” games are also included. These are far more simple and are straight-up jump-the-peg puzzles.

Hiqup is shiny and very fancy, and you can tell right away that Gareth Lancaster, aka Moopf, put a ton of thought and effort into building this crazy little puzzle game. This is definitely a high-quality app, and if you like puzzles this one will keep you occupied for a very, very long time.

$1.99 gets you the full version that comes with 47 Hiqup boards plus the classic boards, and there’s also a lite version that lets you try out the levels and boards for free. For diehard puzzle fiends, $1.99 isn’t much to pony up for a game of this caliber. If you’re lukewarm on the puzzle thing or just a cheap bastard, try the lite version and see how long it takes for Hiqup to either mesmerize you or make you feel like a complete moron.