Ultrapool takes the Balatro formula and applies it to trickshot pool, now on iOS

• Ultrapool takes the Balatro formula and puts a spin on it (hah, pool puns)
• Gather new balls and go from simple tricks to ridiculous modifiers
• Impress the bartenders and get cocktails of new balls, as well as dealing with intense modifiers

I've said it before, but it bears reiterating that Balatro has managed to kick off virtually its own subgenre. Not that this is a bad thing, mind, as it means we've got plenty of ingenious twists on the formula. And one of the latest is none other than Offbrand Games' Ultrapool, available now on iOS and Android.

Like Balatro, Ultrapool takes the classic bar pastime and twists it into something a little more ludicrous. You start simply sinking balls, but by the time things get going, you'll have built up a ridiculous arsenal of them that rapidly increases your modifiers, the in-game cash you can spend on new balls, and so on.

Ultra instinct

Of course, this is only the surface of what Ultrapool has to offer. You'll also face squares that further modify the table alongside the ability to ask the bartender for a cocktail consisting of two separate balls mixed together to create something entirely new.

Just take a look at what Stephen thought in our Ultrapool hands-on. Overall, it's good to see the ideas set out by Balatro being taken, twisted and iterated upon to create something wholly new.

I'm particularly interested to see how well Ultrapool does on mobile. For Balatro and Vampire Survivors, these two, which really inspired so many spinoffs and new takes on mobile, actually took a while to get on the platform. So it could be that Ultrapool and the success of games like it encourage more indies to take to mobile from the get-go!

While Balatro may have inspired a wave of successors, Vampire Survivors may just have them beat in terms of sheer numbers. Just take a look at our list of the best mobile games like Vampire Survivors for some of our favourite picks!