Facebook have just announced that they’ll be adding classic arcade games to their messenger app for people to play against their mates.
You may remember a few months back when Facebook decided to include that God-forsaken basketball game to messenger, allowing people to bombard your group chat with their high (but mostly pathetic) scores. Well good news, because they’re back in the form of 17 arcade classics. Check out the cringey announcement video below.
The feature – called Instant Games – is currently available in 30 countries on the newest versions of iOS and Android. According to Facebook, they run through HTML 5 allowing them to be played without downloading any new apps. Marvellous.
To activate the games, you just tap on the controller icon in the app, choose your game, and proceed to piss off everybody you hold near and dear.
Here’s a full list of every game available, and what you do in them via TechCrunch:
- Galaga (Bandai Namco) – Classic arcade vertical space ship shooter, rebuilt so you only get one life for short sessions
- Space Invaders (Taito) – Classic arcade space shooter
- EverWing (Blackstorm) – 1942-style vertical scrolling space ship shooter with impressive graphics and speed
- Endless Lake (Spilgames) – Gorgeous Temple Run meets Monument Valley runner game with funky art
- Arkanoid (Taito) – Classic arcade brick-breaking paddle game with decent mobile controls
- Words With Friends Frenzy (Zynga) – Rapid-fire Scrabble game that takes some practice
- Hex FRVR (FRVR) – Tetris meets Candy Crush-style puzzler where you form lines until you’re out of moves
- Pac-Man (Bandai Namco): Classic arcade game but with poor mobile swipe controls so you miss tunnels and die
- Shuffle Cats Mini (King) – Card-flicking shooting gallery game that utilizes touch for speed and direction
- Wordalot (MAG Interactive) – Scrabble meets crossword puzzle timed competition, fun and different though frustrating
- ZooKeeper (Kiteretsu) – Timed Candy Crush with cute 8-bit graphics but too long of game sessions
- Track & Field 100M (Konami) – Alternating button mashing speed trial with computer opponents who are too fast
- Brick Pop (Gamee) – Dots-style puzzle game that feels too random
- Bust-A-Move Blitz (Taito / Blackstorm) – Bubble-matching puzzle shooter that feels too slow
- 2020 Connect (Softgames) – Candy Crush meets Threes puzzler that feels too stodgy for Messenger
- Templar 2048 (Vonvon) – Threes-style timed matching puzzle that’s a bit confusing
- The Tribez: Puzzle Rush (Game Insight) – Candy Crush Clone with lame dinosaur theme
Apparently, Facebook are going to be adding more games in the coming weeks and months. Personally I’m holding out for a full blown Star Wars Jedi Knight II, Jedi Outcast remaster before the year’s out, but I’m willing to give them a month or two before I fully kick off.
Mark is the Gaming Editor for UNILAD. Having grown up a gaming addict, he’s been deeply entrenched in culture and spends time away from work playing as much as possible. Mark studied music at University and found a love for journalism through going to local gigs and writing about them for local and national publications.