It’s rare to see a mobile game that actually surprises me with its control scheme anymore. Usually we end up tapping the glass, tilting the screen, or folding the device if we have the budget. However, the new web-based An experiment called Churchery I threw it all out the window. The physical charging cable turns into a controller.
The concept is simple and disruptive at the same time. Plug the charger into your phone, shoot the arrow, and physically pull it out to fire. This is definitely a smart, weird, and almost certainly terrible idea for extending the life of your hardware.
“Plug and Pray” Gameplay Loop
This game is the brainchild of developer @rebane2001. He has a history of tinkering with cell phone hardware in bizarre ways (previously fall birdplayed by bending the folding screen). Charchery seems reminiscent of classic Flash games played in a browser window, such as Defend Your Castle and Bowmaster Prelude.
In the demo shared on X (formerly Twitter), the gameplay looks very easy. You play as an archer and face waves of stickman enemies that slowly come towards you. To fight them off, you need to repeat the intense rhythm of plugging and unplugging your phone. There also appears to be a combo system that rewards you for chaining shots together quickly, perhaps encouraging you to treat the charging port with more disdain than usual.
lightning cable graveyard
To be honest, this game makes some cables unusable. In the developer’s own demo video, the white cable used already looks better, with the outer sleeve near the connector peeling off. Most charging cables, especially the cheap ones you buy at gas stations, are designed to stay on your nightstand and can’t be plugged in and unplugged dozens of times a minute.
If you actually plan on trying this out for more than 5 minutes, you might want to use a heavy-duty nylon braided cable that can withstand shock. And then there’s the phone itself. Charging ports (USB-C or Lightning) are durable, but they have a limited lifespan. Changing your primary charging method to a heavy-duty game controller is a bold move, especially since replacing a port is much more expensive than buying a new cable.
Despite the obvious hardware risks, Charchery is cool because it reminds us that smartphones are full of sensors and inputs that we rarely use for play. We get so used to touchscreens that we forget the physical nature of our devices. Developers experimenting with these “forbidden” inputs, such as using state of charge as a trigger, are pushing the boundaries of how mobile games can feel physically.
You can play Chachery right now via your mobile browser (obviously it won’t work on your desktop since your PC won’t know when it’s unplugged). Probably not next time candy crushbut it stands as a hilarious, creative and slightly dangerous piece of interactive art. Just don’t play with the only working charger.