A Japanese Switch eShop exclusive known as Suika Game (Watermelon Game) has recently gone viral thanks to its popularity among streamers and VTubers. Earlier this year it started gaining traction with Japanese influencers, and now it’s caught on here in the West.
The puzzle game, which has drawn comparisons to titles like 2048 and “Threes“, was originally released on Nintendo’s digital store in December 2021 for 240 yen (less than $2/£2) and requires players to place fruit in a container without overfilling it.
The same types of fruits can transform into bigger fruits, with watermelons being the largest fruits in the game. In each session, the aim is to get the highest score you can. You can play a free version online in your web browser (thanks, Polygon), but its physics and scoring system aren’t exactly the same as the Switch release.
Watermelon Game is performing so well, it’s now dominating the Switch eShop charts in Japan and is also charting on streaming websites like Twitch. Downloads for the title have “increased by more than 50,000 times” per day, according to its developer ‘Aladdin X’.
If you’re interested in trying it out yourself, you’ll need a Japanese Nintendo account and an eShop card for this region.
