Why a kite game?

Kite flying is one of the oldest outdoor games there is, and you only need two moves to do it: pull the line, or let it out. That makes it a good fit for a phone. One finger is enough.

We set it where kites have a long history: the open padang, the padi fields and the beach. The wind changes as you fly. It drops, it gusts and later it swings round. Learning to feel that through the line is the whole game.

A bit of real layang-layang history

Layang-layang is the everyday Malay word for a kite. The same word is also used for the swallow, the fast little bird you see darting over fields.

In Malaysia the best known traditional kite is the wau, especially in Kelantan on the east coast. A wau has a bamboo frame covered in paper. Makers decorate it with layers of cut coloured paper, often in flower patterns. Many carry a bow at the front, called a busur, which hums in the wind when the kite is high.

There are many kinds of wau, and the shape of the lower part tells them apart. The wau bulan, or moon kite, is named for its crescent-shaped tail. Others include the wau kucing (cat kite), the wau merak (peacock kite) and the wau jala budi. The wau bulan even appears on the 50 sen coin from Malaysia’s second coin series.

A big wau is a team job. One person holds it up and lets go while the flier takes the line, and the giant kites at Kelantan contests need several people. Judges look at how high and how well a kite flies, and at its design. Wau are flown on beaches, open fields and padi fields. In Johor, Pasir Gudang has a kite museum that opened in 2002, during the town’s 7th international kite festival.

In Singapore, kite flying was a favourite pastime in the kampung days, with people gathering in open spaces on weekends. Kite fighting, where fliers try to cut each other’s lines, was common too. This game leaves that part out. Exactly when kite flying first reached the Malay world is not well recorded.

The kites in this game are our own drawings. The wau shapes are inspired by the wau bulan, wau kucing and wau merak, with made-up patterns.

How to play

• Hold anywhere on the sky, hold the pull button, or hold Space. Your friend lets go and the kite climbs.
• Holding pulls the line. The kite rises higher in the sky and comes a little closer.
• Letting go gives the kite more line. It drifts further out and sinks lower.
• Each level has goals in order: climb to a height, fly through rings, stay above a line for some seconds, or reel the kite back in.
• Trees and the ground bring the kite down. You have three kites per level. Birds only bump it lower.
• There are 30 levels over three places: the padang, the padi field and the beach. Stars: one for finishing, one for no crashes, one for beating the par time.
• New kites open as you go, from a simple diamond to three wau. Endless sky opens after level 3: keep the kite up as long as you can.
• Sound is on to start. Tap 🔊 to mute, or 🎵 for music.
• Earn 3 stickers in this game for your QuickBOP sticker book.

Tips

Pull in the lulls. When the windsock droops, the kite starts to sink. Short pulls keep it up.

Let go in the gusts. White streaks and a jumping windsock mean a gust. If you keep pulling, the kite spins and dives. Let the line run and it climbs by itself.

Climb before you go out. With a tree nearby, pull first to get height, then let the line out.

Pull and let out to go high. Let line out while the kite is high, then pull it up again. Each round gains a little height.

For real kites, pick an open space well away from roads and power lines.

Your turn

The wind is up on the padang and your friend is holding the kite. Hold on, and see how high it goes.