Shoot A Loop for iOS

Shoot a Loop is a simple game. It uses a mechanism that can be found in small plastic toys that children used to get out of vending machines in grocery stores 20 years ago. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. Plenty of games use simple, nostalgic designs in modern packaging to bring their players back to the days of yesteryear on their phones. However, with some odd physics, hard-to-control mechanics, and a limit on game modes, Shoot a Loop is not such a game.

The concept is very simple. You have a basketball in a loop with four baskets, with scores between 75 and 250 points. You tap the basketball and hold it down and then pull it back and let go to send it through the loop. The goal is to get the pressure just right so that the basketball falls into one of the hoops and you score those points. There are two buttons, one to reset the ball and one to reset your score. If you fill all four hoops you win, presumably with the goal of doing it with as few balls as possible. The problem with this is that the actual loop and the ability to control the speed and angle of the ball is not easy by any means. Also lacking variations on the loop size and victory conditions or rewards, this game is more a curiosity than a full-featured game.

It is free, however, and it does represent a digital version of a classic handheld plastic toy. Nonetheless, with suspect placement of the ad bar (we tapped it accidentally multiple times while trying to shoot the ball) and a lack of other features to extend the game, this is a very short-lived diversion. You'll quickly find yourself looking for a basketball game with greater depth.