Just in time for family gatherings during the Chinese New Year period comes Happy Tennis. Developed by Happy Labs, the makers of Happy Pet Story, Happy Tennis is built exclusively for the Apple TV.
Launched on Jan 28 in eight Asian countries – Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, the game is on discount for the 15 days of the Chinese New Year period, going for just S$2.98 till Feb 22. The game will launch in other markets from Feb 11.
But what is Happy Tennis? Well, think of it as the tennis bit of Wii Sports … except on the Apple TV, and there you have it! In single player mode, the gamer will be using the Apple TV remote as the controller, and how you swing the remote will determine how the shot goes. But you don’t have to play alone – up to four players can play at once, with the other three using iOS (9.0 and above) devices – iPhones or iPads, to connect to the Apple TV via wifi in the Happy Tennis Remote app.
Which means that Happy Tennis is perfect for the Chinese New Year, as long as you have an Apple TV. As most of Singapore goes around the island visiting, you can always fill up your time with relatives by swinging phones around, especially if you’re one of those who hate facing the same-old questions every year from concerned uncles and aunties.
(Note: We’ve all heard of Wiimotes destroying TVs, so … be really careful, and maybe don’t use iPads? That said, the sight of an iPad flying might be worth it. Maybe.)
We’ve given the game a go ahead of launch, and we can say that it is a simple but satisfying experience. There’s just something about swinging your arm around for some digital tennis mayhem, though I suppose you really should make sure you have a good grip. It is remarkably easy to get into – there’s not much in terms of options, so it’s really just set up and go – and even playing with people I’ve met for the first time was fun.
Happy Tennis is available on the tvOS app store at S$ 6.98 (US$4.99). It is on discount for the Chinese New Year till Feb 22, 2016, at S$2.98.
