New on Pogo: Meld Out in Canasta HD

Pogo Llama: Welcome to the Pogo Insider studios, Pogo Jay! You’ve been working hard on Canasta HD, so I’m so grateful you’ve taken some time to talk with me about this fan-favorite game!
Pogo Jay: Thanks for having me, Pogo Llama! Long time reader, first time Q&Aer here at Pogo! I’m really excited that my first time doing this is Canasta HD!

Pogo Llama: My sources tell me that Canasta HD was one of the most requested game updates on Pogo! How did it feel to work on such an in-demand game?
Pogo Jay: Exciting and nerve wracking! Since this is such a popular game we had to try to walk that fine line between adding some new polish while maintaining the feel that players loved about it.

Pogo Llama: Tell us a little about the design and art direction of Canasta HD.
Pogo Jay: One of the first things the team wanted to do with Canasta HD was to make it more accessible to new players. We added a new guided tutorial that teaches the basic rules of the game. This of course won’t make someone a master, but it makes it easier to learn than just reading through a How To Play. And we do have a robust How to Play guide in-game, if you ever need a refresher.

For art direction, we wanted to keep the retro “googie” and mid-century modern influences and add a house party feel. We brought back the original Beatnik character and gave him some hip friends you can see in all the new Badges!

Pogo Llama: What are the main differences between the Flash version of Canasta and the new HD version?
Pogo Jay: We wanted to keep a lot of the classic feel so we went with a light touch on the sound effects and audio. We cleaned things up, but kept the original Canasta voice. We wanted fans of the original version to still feel right at home.

In addition, we kept these in mind as we developed the game:

Bring Canasta gameplay into the HTML 5 world with a fun facelift!
Ensure finding and playing with friends is as easy as possible. We continue to refine and learn from each of our games on how to make this easier. We will continue to make improvements on this throughout the year, and will incorporate these changes across all other multiplayer games, too.
Canasta is a confusing game to learn and play. We’ve worked hard to make it clear when you can make melds, when you can draw cards and even added the point value of cards to the cards themselves!

Pogo Llama: How does one go about playing with friends in Canasta HD?
Pogo Jay: That’s a great question Pogo Llama!

1. From the main menu, click or tap the “Get Started” button in the “Find a Friend” panel.
2. That will take players to the “Join a Game” menu.
3. Any open games currently created by friends will appear at the top of the page under the “Friends’ Tables” header.
4. Players can filter available “Friends’ Tables” by clicking or tapping on the box next to “Filter By” text.
5. To join an open “Friends’ Tables” the player just needs to click or tap on the “Join” option next to their friend’s game.

Note: A “Friends’ Tables” is considered open so long as the friend has not started the game. You cannot join a game that is already in progress.

Pogo Llama: Are there any power-ups in the new Canasta HD?
Pogo Jay: As this is a Club Pogo exclusive and Canasta HD is a skill-based game, we did not add any power-ups to ensure you have an authentic experience.

Pogo Llama: What should players keep in mind as they progress through Canasta HD?
Pogo Jay: We kept the way that players ranked up from the original Canasta. As you play you will get Red 3’s, which will automatically add points not only to your score in-game but also your My Rank score!

Pogo Llama: Is there anything you’d like to add about Canasta HD?
Pogo Jay: The team is very excited to hear your feedback on our new version! As always, we will listen and make improvements to ensure it’s the best version possible!

Play Canasta HD!