Poinpy, a perfect video game, is back and it's completely free on mobile

• Gaming

The former Netflix exclusive was unavailable to play for over a year.

Nothing gold can stay, as Robert Frost once wrote. But maybe it can go away for a while and come back again. Such is the case with Poinpy. The mobile game debuted in 2022 and it was available exclusively to Netflix subscribers. 

However, the streaming service pulled Poinpy from its lineup in June last year, rendering it nigh-on impossible to play. That saddened me immensely, as I utterly adore this game. At the time, publisher Devolver Digital said it hoped to bring Poinpy to other platforms in the future.

Folks, the future is now and it's a beautiful one, because Poinpy is back on iOS and Android. Best of all, it's completely free. No microtransactions or ads or nothing. Free. That's the best price. It's never leaving my phone ever again.

Poinpy is a more colorful inversion of developer Ojiro Fumoto's earlier game, Downwell. Instead of venturing down a well, Poinpy sees you jumping and bouncing upwards through procedurally generated environments. You'll need to collect the right fruits to make juice for the hungry beast that's following you.

You have a limited number of jumps to snag the required fruit for each cocktail, but you can chain them together and restore jump orbs by stomping on pots and enemies. Over time, you'll unlock permanent upgrades and take power-ups with you on each run, so Poinpy is technically a roguelite. Feed the beast enough of the right cocktails, and you'll bear witness to a lovely ending and post-credits scene that explain just why you have to satiate said creature.

Poinpy is a perfect platformer. It might be my favorite game of the decade so far. Everything about it is beautifully realized, from how it handles to the gorgeous illustrations of Error403 and Calum Bowen's captivating soundtrack. And now it's free, so it's even better. (There's an in-game option to send Fumoto a tip, if you like.)

Look, things are not great in our world. They haven't been for quite some time. We have to take our joy where we can. Poinpy is pure joy. For today, at least, my heart is full.