Wowee. PikPok and Adult Swim Games first shook up the tired match-3 genre with the original Monsters Ate My Condo WAY back in the fall of 2011, almost 13 years ago! They struck upon a very clever set of mechanics that made for a surprisingly deep and strategic match-3 game, despite being dressed up in some of the wackiest aesthetics you could have imagined. The following year in 2012 they released an iterative sequel called Super Monsters Ate My Condo that built upon the winning formula of the original.
Well, that was a LONG time ago, and over the years Super Monsters Ate My Condo fell into disrepair and eventually disappeared from the App Store. Sometimes I would wonder to myself, did it ever really exist at all? Or was it just some weird fever dream I had in my early 30s? This week brings confirmation that it was in fact real, and it was in fact spectacular, as PikPok has revived Super Monsters Ate My Condo for re-release here in 2024 both by way of Apple Arcade as well as a good old-fashioned regular free to try App Store release.
You know, I never really thought about it before, but when Reigns released in 2016 everyone (including ourselves) were quick to praise it for using Tinder’s “swipe left or right" controls in a video game. But! Monsters Ate My Condo did it first! In fact, maybe the creators of Tinder themselves were actually inspired by it back in 2011? Whatever the case, the controls still work as good as they always have and make for a nearly perfect mobile gaming experience for those who like to bust their iPhone out and play a quick game or two one-handed.
As for a deep dive into the actual mechanics, well, let me refer you all the way back to my original 5 star review of Super Monsters Ate My Condo from 2012. I haven’t been able to play the original in so long that it’s hard to tell exactly what details are different between it and this new re-release, if any, but the broad strokes all still apply. One change I can note though is that the original game had IAP, which was somewhat controversial at the time, but this new version does not. Obviously the Apple Arcade version doesn’t, but the regular App Store version is also a free to download demo with just a one-time premium unlock. So for AA subscribers and non-subscribers alike, there’s no reason not to check out one of the early-ish App Store’s best matching games, or re-check out if you were a fan like I was all those years ago.
