Really, it was a matter of time: EA’s finally globally launched a free-to-play version of Peggle, entitled Peggle Blast (Free). The game has been in soft launch for a few months now, but has just made its way worldwide. The basics of the game should be familiar to anyone who’s played the addictive peg-popper: use a limited number of balls to try and take out all the orange pegs, launching from the top, watching the ball hit other pegs and bumpers, pachinko-style.

Peggle Blast plays in portrait mode, convenient for one-handed play. There’s a Candy Crush-style level layout, a lives system complete with Facebook requests for more lives, and boosts, like getting extra green pegs in a level. The good news is that the original Peggle, now titled Peggle Classic ($0.99), is still available on the App Store. However, it seems unlikely that a true mobile version of Peggle 2 will ever hit – this is likely what we’re getting. At worst, this is still Peggle, the portrait controls work well, and a number of new challenges compared to the original game. So hey, keep an open mind about this one?