Ever since Facebook launched its new Messenger game-playing features, which allows everyone to instantly play games from their Messenger app without having to download them, I have seen heaps of post and tweets about EverWing. Honestly, at first, I didn’t know a single cent about it and why everyone is raving about it. I even had an odd presumption that it was a band name (indeed a fly name for a band). Out of sheer curiosity, I asked some of my friends if they know about the said game. It turned out that some of them were addicted to playing it and urged me to try it out.
So I did. It was okay, tested my patience and got me a bit worked up. But it wasn’t the game for me. After learning that famous game developers such as Zynga (Word With Friends), Taito (Space Invaders, Cooking Mama), Namco (Pac-Man), Miniclip (8-Ball Pool), Warner Bros. (Batman), and much more are involved with this, I was stoked. Growing up, I’m sure we all have played games from those guys and loved it. So if you’re feeling a bit old-school and wanted to take a nostalgia trip, here are 5 classic games you can play on Facebook Messenger.
Let’s start off with Snake.
Undoubtedly, this game is the holy grail of mobile games since its first release back in 1998 on Nokia 6110. This game either makes or breaks a relationship, legit speaking. Now, you can enjoy playing it again with your Facebook friends and make better bets this time. You have the option to select speed, of course, with 3 being the fastest. Also, notice that the Snake gained a lot of weight through the years, it must’ve feasted on pixel apples quite a lot.
Meanwhile, who would forget about Pac-Man, seriously?
We’re not talking about the People’s Champion here, fellas. We’re talking about one of the best and thrilling arcade games, which still holds true today, developed by Namco in 1980. Now, you don’t have to leave your house to go to an amusement center to play this game. The instruction for this game is just simple: you just have to swipe Up, Down, Left, and Right to control Pac-Man. Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde are waiting for you. Time to devour those Pac-Dots!
Next up we have Galaga. The sequel to 1979’s Galaxian.
I have played this game for hours with my family back when I was a kid (Family Computer days). There’s something about avoiding those firing bullets and kamikaze-like bug aliens that excite me. The instruction for this game is just simple: you just have to touch the left and right arrow buttons to control your starfighter and click the hand on the middle to fire bullets. Friendly tip: If you’re frustrated with somebody, channel all those energies in and imagine those bug-like aliens as him/her. I’m pretty sure you’ll get the high score this time.
In the mood to play something colorful and challenging at the same time? Try Arkanoid.
Developed by Taito in 1986, this game is known to be one the best games in 1986. In order to play this game, you have to control the “Vaus” that acts like a paddle to prevent the ball from falling from the playing field. Once the ball smashes a brick, this will cause it to disappear. Of course, when all the bricks are gone, the player will move on to next level. As you can see from the images above, you have the option to choose your difficulty. So are you ready to be the Vaus?
Lastly on the list, we have Space Invaders.
Who could forget this old classic? With the same manufacturer as Arkanoid, this game is simply addicting. The rule for this game is just simple: you just have to destroy the invading enemy spaceships before they destroy your home. You just have to swipe left and right to move and tap on the screen to fire bullets. But based on my experience, I tend to fire bullets on my own homes which leave me with little defense, sadly.
Overall, Facebook Messenger did a great job by providing these classic games for their users, albeit the controls for each game can be quite inconvenient sometimes. Not only will the “old” gamers enjoy this, but the younger generations, as well, who are not aware of these popular games will now experience the joy and thrill playing them. Let’s all hope that there’s going to more classic games in store for us!
