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Happy Wheels topped Apple's App Store days after its debut in various regions.

Happy Wheels is a side-scrolling, physics-based game where a man in a suit rides a Segway. According to mobile-analytics company App Annie, developer Jim Bonacci's app launched at 984th in the US App Store on Aug. 19.

Happy Wheels gained speed. The following days, it dominated the App Store. In the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK, Happy Wheels has topped at least one app category, if not the whole App Store.

It's been the top US app for seven days.

Happy Wheels wasn't even the first app users looked for on the App Store—it was 22nd. In a blog post announcing the debut, a Happy Wheels team member said, “You'll have to scroll.” "Exhausting, but worth it."

How successful was Happy Wheels?

Already popular

Bonacci developed Happy Wheels for web browsers in 2010 and acquired a devoted fan following in five years. Jeff Yates, VP of operations at app analytics startup Sensor Tower, tells Quartz, "They incorporated the community well for user levels and user-created content."

Happy Wheels' rapid success on the App Store shows mobile demand. One reviewer said, "You have no clue how long I've waited for this." Happy Wheels averages 4.5 stars across 5,200 reviews. Players already want an Android version.

Violence and physics combine
This is a popular mobile gaming combo, says App Annie's VP of marketing and communications Fabien Nicolas. He adds these games feature one- to three-minute periods. "Men 10 to 25 are often the focus. I don't sure what to think—do ADD-affected guys appreciate violence and short games?

It's Apple-compliant
Yates claims the developer is "extremely clever" about avoiding alarming Apple with graphic stuff. Bonacci built a gentler version of Happy Wheels for mobile (to the dismay of some users, according to reviews), but now he can add additional levels—and possibly more gore.

Yates: "In the online version, a spear through the neck is easy." "Those things have been removed from the first basic levels [of the mobile version]—but you can still have a vehicle dumped on you, bleed out, and lose a foot."

Nicolas said the game's team will "kill it" in advertising if the trend continues. Between levels, full-screen movies and banner adverts appear. $1.99 buys ad-free browsing. Nicolas says, "If they do well, it's a rags-to-riches story." "That's why I love mobile."