If you’re tired of Android games that, more often than not, involve mashing buttons, lining up sweets, or flinging birds, then you might want to try out this new game that requires a bit more grey matter called Hacked. Parents worry not. This isn’t about the bad kind of hacking. Or at least isn’t directly about it. At its very core, Hacked is an app that turns programming, and learning how to program, into an interesting yet challenging game.

This app somewhat surprisingly comes from the developers of Falcon, one of the more or less popular third party Twitter apps on Android. Programming directly on an Android device, even a smartphone, isn’t totally new, with loads of advanced text editors in Google Play Store and even a full-blown Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Android, but it is, unsurprisingly, quite a chore. Hacked injects some elements of fun into the process by creating both the custom programming language H, which seems to be inspired by Javascript, and providing its own mobile-friendly code editor, appropriately named Hackedpad. The sum is what its developers claim to be the world’s first mobile coding game.

Hacked has currently two modes, with a third one coming soon. Story mode is the one closest to be being a game, with a specific plot to follow. Naturally, you are put in the shoes of a hacker that needs to use his programming chops for the better good. Like any mobile game, this mode has your usual ladder progression system and top scores. And what geeky game would be without some sort of cheat system, too?

If you want to take a break from your world-saving missions, you can dive into Freestyle mode, which lets you code without any limits to follow. You can even create your own games from within the app (a game inside a game? inception!), publish your masterpieces, and get to try out others’ as well.

Don’t expect to make your Angry Birds killer in Hacked. At least not yet. Everything seems to be confined within the safe and secure environment of the app itself, so distribution and monetary compensation is out of the question. Hacked is still in beta and getting in is slightly more involved than your usual beta access. You first have to sign up using your email, ask to join their Google+ beta testing group, and then wait for approval. The concept of Hacked is definitely an interesting one, but, as they say in business, execution is key.

SOURCE: Hacked app

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