Backhoe!

Backhoe! is a game built specifically for the youngest gamers in our lives. I built this game for my son and daughter who are 4 and 3, respectively. They have a lot of fun playing it and helped shape the game with their extensive playtesting and feedback, and I hope that a young truck lover in your life gets as much enjoyment out of it as they do.

The game is fashioned as a sort of "interactive illustration", emulating a look of detailed watercolor truck illustrations in books of the 80s. The idea is to let kids play, touch anywhere on the screen, and not be accidentally booted out away from the fun. It's as easy and fun to use as a playground digger toy (you know, the ones with the two levers kids are always arguing over.)

How to play: Touch anywhere on the screen to affect the game; touch the body of the backhoe to change the color of it, or tap the wheels to start and stop driving. Tap the back arm of the backhoe to work the digger scoop; press and hold anywhere on the screen and the bucket will follow your finger. Tap the front of the backhoe to work the loader bucket; press and hold anywhere on the screen and the bucket will follow your finger. Raise it high enough and dump out dirt, and collect more dirt by driving and scooping up dirt piles. Dig and make piles to their maximum size to score points.

There is no wrong way to play the game, no way to fail, or convoluted steps too hard for the youngest players to understand. Scores are saved automatically and frequently, so you'll always have a running tally of all the fires you've extinguished. And best of all there are not, and will never be, any ads, in-app purchases, links to other apps, data collected by me, or links to take the player outside of the game.

Have fun playing Backhoe! and feel free to contact me with feedback!