Human Cannonball

Human Cannonball takes you inside the big top of a travelling carnival, where a striped circus cannon waits in the sawdust ring and a performer in a helmet and a bright pink cape climbs into its mouth. Drag back from the cannon and let go: the way you pull sets the angle, the length of the pull sets the power, and the performer shoots out in a puff of smoke and confetti. Fly through the streamer hoops hung across the tent, bounce off trampolines, bumpers and padded posts, and come down in the safety net at the far end; the gold middle of the net is worth a bullseye bonus. Miss the net and the performer drops softly onto the mattresses, gives the crowd a sheepish wave and climbs back in for another go.

There are forty acts across four rings, each with three stars to win, one for every hoop collected on the flight that ends in the net. The Sawdust Ring brings hoops, trampolines and bumpers, and its first acts show a dotted arc for the start of your flight while you learn the feel of the cannon. The Breezy Ring adds wind blowing through the tent flaps, the Rolling Ring a net on wheels and a cannon you slide along a rail, and the Trapeze Ring swinging bars that carry you on with their swing. The physics is the same every time, so a launch that works once works again: every act is a small brain teaser of angles, power and timing rather than luck. Clearing an act opens the next, and your stars fill the prize shelf with plush toys.

Farthest Flight is the endless mode for a quick round: a long tent lined with trampolines and bumpers, three launches, and the farthest flight counts. Every run lays out a new tent, and your best distance is kept as a high score. Nothing in the acts is timed, so it is an easy game to relax with. Your stars, prizes and records are saved in your browser.