Popular games Mikey Hooks and Mikey Shorts return to the App Store via GameClub

iPad Pro with GameClub and a green DualShock 4 controller
iPad Pro with GameClub and a green DualShock 4 controller (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

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.

Mikey Shorts

Mikey Shorts (Image credit: GameClub)

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, too. And you really should try it out – coupled with Apple Arcade you'll be gaming until the cows come home.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.