It is an interesting approach to loading screens, and personally I would have expected way more games to use such a feature. Not AAAs, of course, but indie games.

I clearly recalled having read the news about the patent of this having expired a while ago, and from a quick search, a while ago, has been 8 years ago https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/12/loading-screen-game-pa...

I remember playing Galaga while Tekken loaded on the PS1.

Willy Beamish for the Sega CD had something similar, too. It was a godsend because that game's scenes took forever to load...I've only been able to revisit it thanks to flash carts that mostly eliminate the loading speed.

For what is worth, my partner and I just had a good laugh playing this with four hands and pushing it over 25. Really fun fidget, thanks for sharing!

Up until a few years ago there was a patent about mini games in loading screens. So having it could get you sued..

I got it to level 7

Could only get to level 6 on PC. On mobile with 8 fingers tapping got to level 37 pretty easily.

got to 9 with two finger left clicks

Finger tapping test: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-37068-023

Fun fact: there's a patent on loading mini games that has prevented such developments. I think it's owned by Namco, you can see it in Ridge Racer

Reminds me of watching the Saibamen grow while spamming the analog sticks on the loading screen in Budokai 3 (PS2).