Tetris with Friends was soooooo 2013. 2014 is the year of Tagpro.

For those unfortunate souls who haven’t experienced the phenomenal world of Tagpro, I will explain the magic behind the game. Tagpro is played with 4-8 players, 2-4 on each team. Each player controls a ball, and the player must navigate their ball around the map. Both teams have a flag to protect. The object of the game is to grab the other team’s flag and return it to your team’s base. Players are able to hit and “pop” the opposing flag carrier, which returns the flag back to its base, and the popped opponent must restart from his base. Capturing the flag results in your team being rewarded with a point. The first team to score three points is crowned victorious.

So yes, Tagpro is essentially capture the flag, but Tagpro incorporates some interesting twists. There are different kinds of power ups which can help you and your team. There are spikes and walls around which one must navigate. There are buttons which allow your teammates, but not opponents, to move through certain walls.

The combination of strategy and skill is what makes Tagpro so enthralling. Do you choose to sit on a button and help your teammates in their quests to capture the flag, or do you try to capture the flag by yourself and be the hero your team needs? If you try to capture the flag, is it worth the risk? What if you simply get popped by a superior opponent and waste your team’s scoring opportunity? These decisions must be made on the fly.

You can play privately with your friends, or publicly versus other users around the world. Some players are even making their own highlight reels in the attempt to impress other players and audition for “professional” teams. Capturing the most flags and popping the most opponents will result in finding your name on the world leaderboards.