As we reported yesterday, a new match-3 game called Neopia Studio was looking for beta testers via an ad campaign on Facebook and Instagram. And today, for those who signed up with an iOS device, beta invites are being sent out!
The premise is that you have returned to a small town with an abandoned movie studio and your job is to revive the studio to its former glory:
You'll also receive a message with some more info:
Dear Neofriends,
Neopia Studio Match-3 is here to bring back your childhood memories! Come and run your very own Neopia Studio, get immersed in healing stories, and use your camera to keep those memories alive.
Solve Match-3 puzzles to build your studio, recruit actors, choose scripts, and film these touching stories.
Each Neopet has its own story. You may enter their Dreamland, listen to their stories about sadness or sincerity, and unleash their nature!
For more features, check them out in the game! If you have any problems or suggestions, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected]
From there, it looks like a typical match-3 style game that allows you to progress through the storyline:
The game currently has 3 species available:
And finally, here's a short clip of the game play (sound on 🔊):
From what we've seen so far, there is no way to link your Neopets.com account—but this is a very early beta, so that doesn't mean it's not something coming later.
How to participate in the beta?
As we shared yesterday, the only way to access this beta is to find an advertisement for it on Facebook or Instagram and click the "Sign Up" button in the ad. (You'll then be asked for some info like your email so you can receive a private invite. You'll need the TestFlight app on iOS to participate.) It's not known exactly how to trigger the ad, but searching for "JumpStart Games" a few times and liking their page seem to sometimes result in the ad displaying.
UPDATE: It looks like invites for testing the game via the Google Play Store on Android have gone out as well, in addition to this morning's iOS invites. If you haven't received one (and signed up for beta), double check your spam folder! We're seeing reports that Gmail (of all email services...) is marking the Android invites as spam.
If you signed up for the beta and have an Android device, you do not need a special link, just visit the below link to download the app (as long as the email you provided is the same email as your Play Store account):
iOS beta testing will require a special invitation email that contains a unique code to redeem in TestFlight.
Here's the official Play Store description of the app:
If there is a thing that carries happy childhood memories, it must include Neopets - a virtual pet game running across Europe and America for 21 years.
Based on stories of Neopets, Neopia Studio Match3 is a match-3 game that brings you to a fantastic world, where you can run your Neopia Studio, experience wonderful dreamland, and solve match-3 puzzles. Let’s grow together with adorable Neopets and fix their special inner worlds!
Game Features:
1. Unique Match-3 Levels: Thousands of levels and fascinating puzzles like collecting Pixie Bottles and completing Portraits, making the matching more interesting!
2. Dreamland: Get immersed in healing stories and explore special inner worlds to bring happiness back!
3. Adorable Neopets: Those familiar characters are back for a fresh start. Beat match-3 levels to collect them!
4. Pet Appearances: Tons of impressive options for you to customize your pet’s appearance!
5. 3D Levels: The distinctive 3D levels will give you a totally different Match-3 experience!
If you have any problems or suggestions, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected]
Have you been invited to participate? Let us know what you think so far in the comments!
