Global Game Jam 2020: Pachinko Repair: An Idle Game

“Pachinko Repair: An Idle Game” by Alexander Dudok de Wit.

“An idle game inspired by pachinko machines. Open the menu in the bottom left to see what you can buy. Your score in the top left is increased every time you collect the ball and you get a point for every time the ball bounces with an obstacle. Spend your points on more obstacles and upgrades. Tap on the ball to collect it once it reaches the bottom (or upgrade to [automatic] collect).”


There is something relaxing about “Pachinko Repair: An Idle Game”. At the beginning, the machine is completely empty besides the ball that rushes right into the void. Luckily, the game gives you ten points that you can use to open the building menu, so that you can add some pegs for the ball to crash with. However, each successful collision destroys the peg a bit, as it is not durable. Each collision gives you a new point, though, which you can spend on more pegs. That way, more items and upgrades unlock over time.

There are the spinners for example, which can be used to hold the ball longer in the air. A small amount of extra balls is purchasable as well. On the other side, the upgrades can be used to strengthen the pegs and make them more durable, to boost the spinner speed or to collect newly gained points automatically. While the game design as well as the audiovisual level of “Pachinko Repair: An Idle Game” are pretty minimalist, I enjoyed rebuilding my own pachinko machine just to look at the whole composition. [PLAY]