subpar pool

I normally like weird and whacky takes on “normal” games so I thought this one would be right up my alley. Sadly it gets stale really fast. About an hour in you can unlock all there is to unlock (levels, modifiers, etc) and then you’re left doing the same repeating challenges or to grind for achievements. The sound design seemed cute at first but got quite grating as I was grinding for the last of the achievements. It’s more of a mobile game than PC. Great if you can pick it up for £2 or less but I wouldn’t pay full price again.

Lovely game, doesn't quite have enough meat on the bones for me. Art, animations and design are very good. UI is a bit clunky (in-game top menu, bullet time, aiming vs dragging ball all feel a little off). Pacing of challenges feels off to me, not sure why. 6/10 that is so close to being a 9/10

Such a neat concept! Clear the table under so many "strokes". Where it really shines, however, is all of the surreal bits you can add into your game like giant balls, conveyor belts, or balls that split when hit. The game always has many challenges to complete that will require you to use the indicated table/ball/modifier and meet its requirements on your run (like make 3 long shots in a single run or pot multiple balls in a single shot). Complete enough of these challenges and you'll unlock the next feature, but the game gives you a lot of freedom in which modifers you'll use in your run to increase your odds of completing the given challenge.

A simple and fun mashup of pool and mini-golf, with cards and challenges adding more chaotic variation to the mix. Cheerful, cleverly made, and works great on Deck (as another reviewer says, you may need to tweak the "UI scaling" setting in game). Well worth pocketing.

this game is fine, so take this as a mixed review. (5/10) admittedly i am not a massive fan of roguelikes - i have probably only ever enjoyed one or two. but i do like golf and pool games, so there was more of a shoe-in than a typical roguelike would have. the game for me stales pretty fast - i feel this is less this game's specific fault and more of a gripe i have with the genre overall. subpar pool does a great job of taking the ingredients of a roguelike (customizable generation, variables that affect the player/environment/rules, changing objectives) and making a game out of it - i just happen to not enjoy those ingredients. there is no overarching objective so to speak - it's very much just playing rounds of 5-hole pool endlessly. i did experience a few bugs with the cursor between runs - disappearing from view or straight up not being able to interact with the game at all. it was always solved by closing and re-opening - so only a little annoying. the flawless mechanic is a bit weird. you can self-pocket and maintain flawless... but only if you don't take any additional shots afterwards? it also fails if a black ball is pocketed. this killed a few runs where a flawless objective was active as there is a non-zero chance on courses 2/3/4 for black balls to spawn and ruin the stage esp. where balls spawn on moving tracks, near teleporters or on non-active holes, which would cost additional shots that you don't have to move them out of the way. in some cases, they could even pocket themselves before i had a chance to react. my personal highlight is definitely the art style and presentation. i would totally have some stickers or physical merch of the ball types as they are very cute. :) if you're someone that enjoys roguelikes and pool, and you just want something casual to play then yes - recommended! if you're more ambivalent like i am, then no.

Really fun game. This scores extremely high on Ben Brode's "High-Depth / Low-Complexity" scale.

Surprisingly satisfying for such a simple game

The game's simple basics yet enjoyable challenges give it the "one more round" perspective. The goal of the game is straightforward: just get the balls into the holes. Although the gameplay is similar to billiards and golf, it has a unique twist. The controls are simple; you turn the aim with the mouse button and double click to hit it. There's no need to be concerned about the shot's power because it's always the same. Lines indicating which direction the balls will go are a wonderful feature. The best design option, however, is that you can hit the white ball while it is moving. This speeds up rounds because you don't have to wait for all of the balls to stop. There is only one game mode, which takes you through five random tables. Because the layouts are simplistic, there isn't much distinction between them. Each table contains a few holes and a few balls that you must pocket. Because of the large holes that do not demand extreme precision, the fundamentals are simple. You start each table by placing the white ball anywhere you want. This allows you to immediately pocket at least one ball. The white ball cannot be moved again unless it falls into a hole. The puzzle must be completed in a limited amount of moves. If you exceed that number, you will lose a life. If you lose all three, you will fail the round. Even if you lose a life, you will still move on to the next table, but every ball that was not pocketed will come with you as a black ball. They work as harmless obstacles that can still be pocketed, but you lose flawless run, which is only important in certain circumstances. Because playing a single mode can get boring quickly, the game features a unique feature that invites you to play one round after the other. These are known as challenges, and they unlock interesting features that drastically alter the game. Cards containing challenges must be chosen before each round, but you can only carry two cards at a time. As you continue through the game, more slots become available. Challenges are separated into those that can be completed over multiple runs and those that must be completed in a single run. What keeps things intriguing is that cards alter the tables, balls, and even the rules in your next run. For example, you may trigger a hunter ball that follows your main ball or a larger, slower-moving ball. For tables, you can apply portals that teleport a ball. When you finish a specific amount of challenges, new cards become available. Because each card contains a random task, you must complete all of them in order to access more stuff. This means you'll also have to cope with rules that prohibit you from moving the ball.