Unipong:The Road to Budokan, the latest game from indie game developer Large Animal (formerly GameKitchen, makers of the award-winning puzzle game QUEUE), launched today on RealArcade.com.

Large Animal’s downloadable game is based on the single-player ball-and-paddle sport that is an underground sensation in the Midwest, as well as numerous foreign countries. A demo version of the game is now available for download via RealArcade’s website at http://www.real.com/games/unipong. The full version of Unipong can be unlocked from the demo for $19.95.

In Unipong, players follow the career path of unipong prodigy Orlo Ansley. Along with Orlo, they learn the basics while practicing in the basement family room before competing in a Unipong tournament at the local Kalamazoo Recreation center. During this tournament, Orlo is spotted by a scout who convinces him to come and train at the renowned Unipong Training Spa in Andermatt, Switzerland. Ultimately, Orlo—and players who have mastered all of Unipong’s skills—compete in the International Unipong Championship in Budokan, Japan.

Unipong features 12 levels spanning 4 different environments. Each level has special point and trick objectives that must be completed to unlock subsequent levels, as well as special paddles. Integrated high score and e-mail messaging capabilities allow players to compare their scores against other unipongers from around the world—and to talk trash once they’ve proven themselves. There is also a free-play mode in which players hone their style without the pressure of objectives.

More information about Unipong, including rules, player rankings and details about how the sport is scored, can be found at http://www.unipong.com , the official website of the International Unipong Association.

About Large Animal Games

Large Animal develops original game titles and creates games for clients. Their self-published titles are distributed through online partners such as RealArcade, AtomShockwave and soon, Dexterity Software. Clients have included LEGO and the New York Philharmonic. Complete details about Large Animal can be found at http://www.largeanimal.com.

About Real Arcade

RealArcade offers consumers a fun, unique and compelling way to discover, acquire and play PC games—bringing together a wide array of games and services in a single, easy to use environment. RealArcade provides play-before-you-pay access to the best in online games (titles such as Unipong, Collapse, Diamond Mine, and Evernight), full-version digital downloads, free online Web games, and massive multiplayer games. Integrated game manuals, message boards, user ratings, chat rooms and multi-player matching enable RealArcade users to play their games with greater ease and knowledge. RealArcade also recognizes and manages most retail CD titles and top shareware games, giving users an all-in-one service for any game on their PC. RealArcade is available for immediate download at http://www.realarcade.com.