Plumber Crack is a new free iOS game from Office Jerk developer Fluik. It’s available now as a Universal app for iPhone and iPad via the App Store, and has put in a strong showing in both the free iPhone and free iPad apps charts this week.

Plumber Crack sees players staring at the posterior of a plumber who is fixing the sink. The player is challenged to flick as many ice cubes as possible down said plumber’s prominently-displayed crack, with coins rolling in with every successful shot. These coins fill a meter at the side of the screen, with a single unit of the game’s hard currency on offer for filling it. Successive shots on target gradually cause this meter to fill at a faster rate, and mistakes may be nullified through the use of a “bomb” item to detonate the errant ice cube before it hits the floor. Cumulative shots on target also unlock “mystery boxes” which contain collectible items. Completing the various collections in the game unlocks new outfits for the plumber and new play modes.

There is only a single game mode available to players upon downloading the app — the endless “Zen” mode, in which progress is maintained even after the app is closed. Skilled cube-flickers will be able to acquire a handful of hard currency with a lot of patience (and a low boredom threshold) but those with less time to spare may instead choose to purchase packages of “Crack Bucks” for anywhere between $4.99 and $99.99. Crack Bucks may then be spent either on automatically completing collections to unlock the other three game modes. They can also be used for alternative costumes, many of which offer bonuses to the rate of coin and mystery box acquisition, new items to fling or on bombs. Players also receive free bombs at regular intervals.

Interestingly, the game features no social features or leaderboards. The collections in the game are presented as trophies, but there is no Game Center support for achievements. This seems like something of a missed opportunity for viral promotion.

Plumber Crack is a simple game, and its deeper content is behind a relatively expensive (or time-consuming) paywall. Its success in the App Store charts this week is likely due to the novelty value of its subject matter. While Fluik’s previous apps Office Jerk and Office Zombie have been successful, the cost of in-app purchases and slow progress for free players may hurt the profitability and long-term success of the game.

Plumber Crack is currently at No. 3 in the free iPhone apps chart and No. 12 in free iPad apps chart. In the Games genre, it is placed at No. 3 on iPhone and No. 7 on iPad. It’s currently the No. 70 top grossing game on iPhone. To follow the game’s progress through the App Store charts, check out AppData, our tracking service for iOS and social games and developers.