Billiards has intrigued me since my dad first showed my brother and I a mini table with a swinging cue ball. I loved the sound of the break and watching the pockets be filled with the different colors. While I’ve never been especially great at the game, I have always understood the way to play it, as it’s very mathematical. Digitally is where I typically find myself playing the game, but it’s never been more captivating than it is here.

Pool Panic starts out teaching you how to play on a standard pool table, making sure you drop each ball before the 8. You will be able to lock on to targets, hit hard or soft, and walk around. That’s about all you need to know when playing, and despite this sounding boring if strictly on a standard table, you’ll be pleased to know the experience couldn’t be any further from normal. And beyond the crazy levels, you’ll have to learn about the different balls you’re up against, as every color has a different personality.

Giving sentience to a group of differently colored balls never crossed my mind before, but it’s kind of genius. Why wouldn’t the different hues have unique personalities and feelings toward the cue ball, who is basically a bully beating them up? Why wouldn’t some be fearful, mean, or just simply be out to troll you? Pool Panic takes a great game and makes it absolutely ridiculous in the best possible way.

Chances are that while you’re exploring the different levels, you’ll encounter some that don’t have holes for you to knock the balls into. The first level I hopped into there wasn’t a whole lot available, so I just started knocking stuff around. The thing about this is that nothing is as it seems; the environment was filling up places for the different balls to drop into, so I had to free them before being able to continue. Other levels will have you using mouths as the goals. Yeah, you read that right. Despite the game being made up of the same basic controls and various personalities, no two levels feel the same as there is so much character put into each, and Rekim’s creativity seemingly knows no bounds. At times I was wondering if the dev had worked with Nintendo for the likes of WarioWare. I mean, who expects these living spheres to be brought in on buses as if they’re going to camp, and to have the bus driver be super gassy? I couldn’t help but chuckle at the amount of crazy situations this game presented, and it was pretty much always a joy to figure out how to approach each level.

As much as the chaotic nature of the game pleases, it certainly brings with it hints of frustration, and can become annoying when you can’t see the goal, or the camera angle doesn’t allow you to see exactly what is going on. You’ll no doubt be on the verge of going bald when attempting to finish off a level only to find yourself struggling with a character that sidesteps each of your shots – if you’re not worried about the number of attempts you take, you have a few seconds after a hit where they are a normal ball and won’t act out, so use this to your advantage. For lovers of puzzles, you’ll likely find yourself spending time perfecting each level, but with the somewhat random nature of them, it’s likely you’ll give up on this goal before finishing the game. In fact, because of the ever-changing aspect, being able to finish any given level with all the challenges (which includes the likes of speed and number of hits) complete will be quite the feat. Perhaps the biggest draw to the game is its multiplayer shenanigans, which will undoubtedly steal the show at many future parties.

Pool Panic is a game that absolutely deserves the Adult Swim Games seal of approval. The craziness in level design and characters are something you’d expect from the likes of a Rick and Morty universe. With a fairly robust single player campaign and hilariously fun multiplayer, the frustrations you’ll encounter are often outweighed once you walk away from the game for a bit. If you need a laugh after work, or you want to play something with your friends and family, this will do the trick.

8 out of 10

Pros

• Fun Cartoon Style
• Interesting Puzzle Designs
• Unique Personalities

Cons

• Fixed Camera
• Occasionally Annoying Characters

Pool Panic was developed by Rekim and published by Adult Swim Games. It was released on NS and PC July 19th, 2018 for $14.99. The game was provided for us to review on NS. For more on Pool Panic, visit its official site.

 

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