Ok so I was reading and seeing all the hype around this that I decided to give this a try.
-- TLDR: jump to last paragraph!
First off, I like casual games. Some of my Popcap favorites are Bejeweled, Astropop and Bookworm. First time I played the original Peggle years ago, I was like… "WTF… a pachinko game? Drop a ball and watch?? Really??"
But after all the rave about this one I was intrigued, maybe this had something I wasn't quite seeing...
So here's my final thoughts on this after playing through the whole game and grabbing half of the achievements so far:
- Yep, it's pretty much a drop-a-ball-and-watch game. Really. Funny and colorful, all bells and whistles. Nothing different at all.
The game is pretty linear, pretty short. No random levels, no level editor (this would be awesome..). You are stuck with a few levels with a few overpowered skills that don't really change the gameplay much, since you will be doing the same strategy over and over until you beat the challenges presented on each level.
To beat a level, you have to hit every orange ball on screen. Green balls activate the special ability, purples give you extra points. If the ball drops in the bucket below, you get an extra ball.
You have to play each stage to unlock the characters (each has a different special power that helps in the level), like in a story mode. After you beat that.. the game is pretty much done. Then you can try to beat each level again and meet the 3-challenges requirement in each level (such as finish the level with a certain score, or finish the level with over certain number os balls left, etc). And there's the "puzzle" mode in each stage, simple tasks that teaches you some "tricks".
Multiplayer is just about who makes the highest score in 10 turns. It doesn't matter whether you have extra balls left or if you finish a level before it. Either you have your favorite char unlocked or you are stuck at being the loser all the time, really. Winners get over 350k points like every time. So don't feel bad if you get like less than 80k points in one of your first plays.
Seriously, I don't understand how this game is getting such high reviews everywhere. It's not a bad game, it's just… I dunno, I'd rather play a good pinball table or some awesome Arkanoid remake than this.
So here's my pros and cons:
Pros:
- If you liked the 1st one, I think you'll like this one.
- Colorful, great soundtrack.
- Achievements are always fun to get. If you didn't like the game like me, at least this is one reason to get this game once it gets a price drop.
Cons:
- Pretty much everything about it: too short, too linear, not challenging, no random levels...
- It's not a pinball game and it's not Arkanoid… it's worse...
- No multiplayer achievements
- Too expensive for a less than a casual game (this is a play-by-level game, unlike most of Popcap games we all know)