What you need to know
- Mikey Hooks and Mikey Shorts are back in the App Store.
- They're available via the GameClub subscription service.
- They've both been updated for modern devices.
Mikey Hooks and Mikey Shorts were both hugely popular the first time around. I spent far too long playing them both back in 2012 and 2013 respectively but now we can all play them again thanks to GameClub.
GameClub is a game subscription service that takes old and abandoned games and brings them back for life. You can play them all for $4.99 per month and it's absolutely worth each and every penny. Even if the only games you're going to play are this pair.
Both titles were developed by Beavertap games, with GameClub picking up the story.
Two speed run fanatics met each other on the TouchArcade forums, competing for lower and lower times on games, and decided instead of being rivals they should join forces and create their own game that's specifically designed to be played as a speed run challenge. This is the origin story of Beavertap Games, the original creators of [...] Mikey Shorts.
The main idea behind Mikey Shorts is simple – complete levels quicky and collect coins as you go.
In Mikey Shorts you play as the lovable Mikey (amusingly enough, both developers are also named Mike) and you run, jump, and slide through loads of levels. Along the way you'll collect coins which are used to unlock different cosmetic disguises, many making your personal Mikey look even sillier than usual.
When Mikey Hooks came around it took what everyone enjoyed from Mikey Shorts and amplified it. The result was an amazing game that I loved at the time and I can't wait to delve into all over again.
Mikey Hooks built on that formula, with dozens of levels to race through across multiple environments, hundreds of cosmetic costumes to unlock, and a ghost racing mode that will have you striving to shave off tenths of a second off your runs. When Mikey Hooks was first released it was met with universal critical acclaim, including from sites that didn't typically even cover mobile games.
And now they're both available all over again. You can sign up to GameClub now and new users get a free 30-day trial (opens in new tab), too. And you really should try it out – coupled with Apple Arcade you'll be gaming until the cows come home.
