GAMES WE LOVE

Automatoys

Ping balls around delightfully designed dioramas.

The grinning white ball in Automatoys is having a terrific time. It just keeps on smiling as it gets pinged, plopped and rolled around cleverly constructed dioramas in this lush indie game. Tap or hold your thumb onscreen to activate the ramps, jumps, claws and tilting mazes to get your intrepid ping-pong ball to the exit.

What we love: The crisp, clean diorama designs. If these weren’t videogame levels they wouldn’t look out of place framed on a trendy design agency’s wall. The soundtrack is filled with jazzy, low-key beats of the kind you might hear in a bar full of cool people.

If you mess up, it’s no problem. You can try again as many times as you like.

Quick tip: Buy the extra levels. You get three for free, which are great, but the post-paywall stages are where Automatoys’ flare for surprising, delightful design is really showcased.

Meet the creator: Idle Friday is an indie studio based in London founded by former State of Play designer Steffan Glynn, who worked on critical darlings Lumino City, Inks and KAMI 2.