Suika Game is finally out on iOS for North American players

Goodbye, App Store Suika Game clones. The real thing has finally arrived on iOS for players outside of Japan. Suika Game, the watermelon puzzle game that went viral on Nintendo Switch last year, is available to download for $2.99 on Apple’s App Store, making it playable on iPhone and iPad. The title for the official version is “Suika Game-Aladdin X” and it comes from XGIMI Limited.

Suika Game was quietly released on the App Store for players outside of Japan last month; the game was released on iOS for Japanese players in December. I only realized it was out on iOS because I’m still way too into the game, and periodically check the App Store. Now that it’s out on iOS, the easy-to-play, hard-to-master game will surely find its way into new hands. Currently, it’s rated the second most popular casual game on the App Store — with very little marketing.

Suika Game is a puzzle game where you drop fruits into a box. When fruits of the same type touch, they merge together into a new, bigger fruit. Cherries combine to form strawberries, strawberries into grapes, grapes into oranges, oranges into persimmons, persimmons into apples, and so on, up until the watermelon. Theoretically, you can continue on forever, because two watermelons touching erases them entirely. Of course, it’s not quite so simple: Suika Game’s physics make the fruit bounce all over the place, making it hard to organize your stash.

The iOS version of the game has the same premise, but a box that’s shaped slightly differently to fit into the iPhone screen. You use the touchscreen to move the fruit, which drops when you release your finger. Plus, you’re able to play either vertically or horizontally. It’s exactly what I expected! An Android version is expected out next month.

If mobile isn’t your thing, Suika Game is still playable on Nintendo Switch. This year, developer Aladdin X released multiplayer DLC that lets you play local co-op. Online multiplayer is expected to be added in the future. The game and its DLC is available for $5.24. Alone, Suika Game costs $2.99 on both iOS and Nintendo Switch.