Basketball Hoops, Arcade for Watch is a Charming Apple Watch Game

Are you craving some 8-bit basketball action on your Apple Watch? Look no further than the adorable if awkwardly named Basketball hoops, arcade for watch. It’s a simple basketball game that you play entirely on the watch.

There is no complication for this app, but you can keep it in your Dock if you want it handy at all times. When you open the app, you choose between the Classic and the new Dunkers mode. Classic mode is just a ball and a hoop, whereas with Dunkers mode you get a player as well. The idea of the game is of course to shoot hoops and score. You use the Digital Crown to adjust the angle of your shot, with assistance from the trajectory visualizer. Tap to shoot, and score as many baskets as you can before the shot clock runs out. When you score, you get time added to the clock. Keep a streak going for even more bonus time. Make your way up the leaderboards, assuming you’re a better player than I am.

If you force press your Apple Watch while playing, you’ll get some gameplay options. Tapping “Mute” turns on and off the haptic feedback. “Restart” will delete your current stats and restart the match. You can toggle between “Autoshoot,” which will launch the ball automatically half a second after you adjust your trajectory, or “TapToShoot,” which is exactly as it sounds.

Though basketball is not my personal passion, I appreciate the simplicity, cute graphics and use of the Digital Crown in this little gem. Basketball hoops, arcade for watch (or BasketWatch, as it’s nicknamed on the iPhone icon) is certainly a worthwhile Apple Watch game to download for free on the App Store.