Games don’t have to be serious. In fact, casual titles are a great source of escapism for millions of players. Today, we’re reviewing one of the least serious games I’ve played in a while. Its concept is extremely easy to grasp, but the game itself is nearly impossible to master. The game is Pineapple Pen, and it’s free to play on Poki.
What’s a pineapple pen?
Before playing this kooky title, I had no idea. A pineapple pen is not just any pen; it’s far more important than that. Simple writing utensils, be gone! A pineapple pen is a projectile weapon. It can stab the freshest of fruits, namely, pineapples. Oh, but it’s even more than that, too. If a pineapple pen is used to puncture an apple, it’s called an apple pen. Got it?
Okay, that description was a bit jocular. But that’s the essence of Pineapple Pen. It’s a fast and easy arcade game with little in the way of levels, modes, or power-ups. There aren’t any levels, and the three modes are quite alike. In each mode, players must toss pens at fruits. That’s it!
How does it play?
There might be a bit more to the action than that. Classic mode plays like well, a classic arcade game. The objective is to never miss the fruits. During some rounds, pineapples and pens fly by quickly. In other rounds, they glide slowly. The variance in speed and flight direction keeps the action challenging. One strike and you’re out! Hardcore mode is essentially the same as Classic mode; the only difference is that hardcore mode is hard. Right from the beginning, you’ll notice that fruits don’t move slowly. They’re all fast and furious. If you miss one, you lose.
In Orbital mode, every fruit flies in a circular path. Unfortunately, that’s trickier than it may sound. In Pineapple Pen, you’re not allowed to move your pen left or right—you can only throw it straight up or down. So, a circular flight path results in two key target points: at the top or bottom of the arc. At the bottom of the arc, your pen will reach the fruit quickly. At the top, the opposite occurs. If that sounds a bit too complicated, it’s not. Just hit the pineapple!
What do you dream of?
All pen-throwers have aspirations. If not, they should. In addition to setting a high score, players should strive to gather as much gold as possible. Then, they will be pen-throwers no more. There are 16 items to throw in this game. The first unlockable item is a classic No. 2 pencil. After that, you can graduate to the crayon box. Each new projectile costs the same amount of gold: 200 coins, to be exact. While this may decrease the long-term replay value of the game, it makes it much easier to unlock all 16 goodies. Pineapple Pen is fun, fast, and free. What else do you need? If that sounds satisfying, grab your pen and throw!
This article contains sponsored links.