Ahead of the Game - Loopy Ducky is a semi-Survivors-like where you fight in silly circles as a chonk
Very loopy indeed
- Loop around a grid as a chubby duck
- Upgrade your weapons with roguelike runs
- Unlock cute skins as you go along
It's all about a chonky duck stuck in a loop in this week's Ahead of the Game series, where we tell you about a new mobile endeavour that's playable in one form or another despite its unofficial launch.
Just like the recent trend of animals versus the undead, I've been noticing a lot of duck-themed adventures on mobile lately, the most recent one I played being the goose that's on a quest to avenge his boiled mum (I kid you not). This time around, though, things aren't exactly as brutal, but it's still the same hilariously ridiculous concept of pitting a harmless duck against forces of evil - if you consider carbonated beverages so.
And maybe they are, as Loopy Ducky seems to have latched on to the idea that soda pops are inherently evil and must be eliminated at all costs. These sugary drinks will stop at nothing to eliminate you (and your sugar levels), after all, so why not take the flight to them?
It's not just soda cans in shades that you're up against here, as even cute Mario-esque stars and similarly Mario-esque goombas are out to get you, too, for some reason. Thankfully, each time you make a little loop around your grid, you get to earn coins that you can use to either level up and merge your existing weapons or slot new ones into the grid, such as daggers, shields, hearts, and speed-ups.
It's standard roguelike-slash-tower defence fare where you're only ever in one place while hordes of enemies charge at you from all sides, but what makes this one pretty refreshing for me is that you're actually looping around tiles that will only activate once you step on them - you're not called the eponymous Loopy Ducky for nothing, after all.
It's all very, very cute, and very, very ridiculous - which is the perfect combination. You even get to unlock new weapons as you go along, and it seems you'll eventually get Batman-themed weapons at some point - including particularly furious fowl in red, which is definitely in sync with the theme of angry avians here.
You get to unlock skins too, further down the line - there's even one where you're in a fancy business suit (and can drop more coins) and one where you're a derpy bum that looks suspiciously like a cross-eyed Perry the Platypus.
Obviously, there's a lot of blatant "inspiration" that Loopy Ducky takes from other franchises here, but it doesn't really take itself seriously, much like the weapons don't, either. I mean, golden poop can freeze enemies, for crying out loud, which is an actual thing in-universe, apparently.
So, how do you play Loopy Ducky?
Currently in early access on Google Play, Loopy Ducky definitely has a lot of rewarded ads that take a looong time to play out. You're given the option of playing an ad if you're looking to claim some special perks, though, so there's that, at least. Hopefully, once it's officially launched, we'll see a less intrusive monetisation model at play - but for now, suffice it to say that my ducky's doing its darnest to live its best loopy life.
