Social version of Hangman debuts in Canada

Popular social-network and iOS game maker Zynga has debuted its latest title, a continuation of the "With Friends" line begun with with the Scrabble-like Words With Friends and Chess With Friends with its take on the classic game of Hangman, entitled Hanging With Friends for iPhone. The game, which is already available in the Canadian iTunes App Store, will premiere shortly in the U.S. and other countries.

The game comes in two versions, like its predecessors: a paid "Premium" version ($1) without ads, and a "Freemium" version (free) that offers in-app upgrades and is ad-supported. The game offers Hangman with a twist, removing the macabre aspects and replacing them with avatars that dangle from brightly-colored balloons.

Hanging With Friends allows players to create and then challenge their online or Facebook friends to solve puzzles, or can choose from puzzles from others, racing to see who can "hang on" to their balloons the longest. The game also offers "lifelines" and instant replays to help prolong the fun.

Players can play the game using their existing friends or find new ones through existing With Friends accounts or through Facebook Connect. The game is self-paced, allowing up to 20 simultaneous games to be played. Push notifications can be used to notify players when it is their turn, and the app even offers in-game chat messaging.

Hanging With Friends requires iOS 4 or higher and also works with any iPod Touch capable of running iOS 4.

by MacNN Staff