Now that Flappy Bird has taken its toll, 2048 is ready to take the spotlight of the most addicting apps yet in 2014. You may think it’s an easy game the first couple of tries, but eventually you will regret the day you downloaded the application on your smartphone, or started playing it online due to the fact that it’s so addicting yet impossible to beat!

“I have two words that perfectly describe the game: difficult and habit-forming. I can’t go a day without challenging myself on that app. Plus, when I do, I take hours and hours trying to figure out how to finally get that tile,” sophomore Claudia Castro said.

Similar to the app named Threes!, the 2048 game was created by Gabriele Cirulli,  an Italian 19 year-old web developer. The game was created in March 2014 and currently has a rating of 4+. Even though there have been several spin offs of the game, such as making the numbers in a different color and font size, or even a Doge version of it, the original game is always the best; thus is the one made by Ketchapp.

“It’s like I’m glued to my phone whenever I play the app. It’s not even a joke! I can literally play the game for hours, but I’ll never win. But who says I can’t play again,” freshman Steve Prieto said.

The main objective of the game is to get a tile of 2048. This almost impossible task is done by joining blocks of the same number together. For example, 2 goes with 2, which makes 4, if joined with another 4, it makes 8, etc. You control the tiles by swiping to the left, right, up, and down, but be careful, if you fill up the entire grid without any moves possible, you lose and would have to start all over again. 

“This game is purely awesome. It’s probably the only game I actually enjoy playing that involves math and strategy,” junior Javier Rabasa said.

The number-filled game is one of the biggest frenzies so far in the new year, along with Flappy Bird and QuizUp. There is probably not a more challenging top-free application like 2048. As much as it annoys you after losing several times, don’t break your phone or give up! 2048 is the new addicting app that is keeping us entertained and frustrated with ourselves all at the same time.

To play the online version of the game yourself, click here.