Off the AppStore: Around we go on Planet Looper

• A puzzle involving space, gravity, and looping
• Time your taps to get your ship from one planet to the next
• Travelling is fast, but so are accidents, so mind your direction

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.

Thanks to the countless sci-fi films and TV shows, ranging back to the days when The Twilight Zone first prodded us to question our reality, we aspire to go to space. Although there are plenty of folks who are making "efforts" to make space accessible to non-astronauts, chances are that we're not going to see an expansive space-faring human empire in our lifetime. It's unfortunate, but that's the way the blue milk pours, so to speak. BUT! At least we've got digital escapes into what it might feel like to pilot a ship across the galaxy and visit exciting planets at the drop of a hat. Nebster has taken that idea and one of the scientific principles associated with it to make the surprisingly challenging Planet Looper.

Even though the debate continues whether we're truly victims of fate, the fact is that we all fall under the laws of gravity. Every single celestial body in our universe has some sort of gravity, and we've been trying to use it to reach further beyond our means. Countless satellites and many space rocks orbit our planet because we understand the principles that govern it. That's what you're expected to do as the newly appointed head of "launching-orbiting-rockets-from-one-planet-to another". As long as we continue to move from orbit to orbit, we'll always have momentum.

You must use the loop between the planets to get your rocketship to reach new ones and explore more of space. You certainly have the fuel needed to boost yourself where required, but it's the looping that keeps you, well, in the loop. Planets range from large and small, near and far, but you'll have to time your slingshot moment so that you can safely leave one planet's orbit and enter another's. The momentum is strong, but for that extra boost, you've got fuel for your boosters that can be conveniently refilled with gas canisters that have been placed around various orbits.

Planet Looper is a clean and colourful 2D tapping experience that involves launching a rocket ship from planet to planet. It looks simple, but it challenges both your accuracy and timing as you pick the right moment to leave your current orbit. You'll likely crash into quite a few planets or just yourself shooting off into the abyss, but that's the risk every aspiring space explorer takes. Space is called the Final Frontier for a reason… because it might be the final thing that an astronaut sees.

You can download and play Planet Looper on its itch.io page!