PART-TIME UFO

HAL Laboratory has built massive Nintendo games like Kirby and Super Smash Bros, but Part-time UFO is something new and original—and also charming and compact. It’s essentially a digital take on the arcade crane game, but instead of fishing around to try and win a stuffed animal, you’ll use your UFO’S crane to transport items and solve puzzles. Early on, that means loading oranges onto a truck or assembling pillars to build a structure, but the premise expands widely to the point of stacking cheerleaders, constructing lavish deserts, and even arranging Tetris-style pieces. Part-time UFO is tough but thankfully endearing, and it recalls some of the zanier Nintendo handheld gems from over the years.