Off the AppStore: Push and tag your way through Club Soko

• It's a perfect night (or maybe day) to go clubbing with Maude
• Maude's not there to club; she's there to tag with her spraypaint rebel style
• Navigating the different dance floors as you push (and get pushed) to get around

Welcome to Off The AppStore, a weekly feature with a twist. Namely, that while these - as with all the games we cover here - are games that you can play on your phone, they're ones that operate outside of the realms of the big two ways to play: The Google Play Store and the Apple AppStore.

That means that there might be a bit of work required in downloading alternative AppStores or APKs, or that the games can simply be played in your phone browser. We'll make sure to detail that for each game though. Anyway, read on to find a new game or experience to play Off The AppStore.

There is some purpose to clubbing that eludes me. Maybe at one point it was a pretty fun way to spend the night and meet new people. But now, so much of it is associated with massive crowds, loud noise, drinks designed to target your life savings, and being unable to have an intelligible conversation with anyone. Still, the club scene perseveres, and it remains one of the more visually and audibly stimulating settings for stories… You know, as long as they're used effectively. That's what the triumvirate of Miracle Tea, BradMakesGames, and Thomas Andrews has done by giving us a new night experience in Club Soko.

You take on the role of the rebel outcast graffiti artist Maude, who decides to crash the biggest club in the city, Club Soko. How she's able to infiltrate such an exclusive club is a mystery, but we can assume that she's so indifferent to the club scene that she intentionally is seen as cool enough to be a part of it. Armed with beatnik sunglasses, chill street clothes, and a duffel bag full of spray paint, Maude is ready to make her mark. Unfortunately, the clubbers and club workers aren't going to make it easy for her.

Maude knows exactly the kind of world she's stepped into and that she'll have to stand her ground. To get around the club floors, Maude needs to move and shove other clubbers and objects out of the way to clear her path. She's aiming to reach the bright trapdoor where she can make her tag and make it to the next floor. Aside from oblivious clubbers, Maude will have to deal with bouncers who will plant themselves and push back, but this can work in Maude's favor. You've got all the tools needed to navigate the club and Maude's strength to boot.

Club Soko is a 2D stylised puzzle adventure around making your way through different club floors, tagging the right spots, and beating the beat. The art is colorful and animated, the mechanics are simple and effective, and the challenge has a nice curve with new elements introduced at a good pace. It uses a well-known setting to make a fun little experience that literally pushes you to think creatively. Of all the clubs you could be a part of, Club Soko is not a bad choice.

Club Soko is available to download and play on its itch.io page!