Pool Party – Review

After first hearing about Pool Party a few months ago, it feels like a lifetime, but just like our British Summertime, it’s finally here, so it’s time to squeeze into the budgie smugglers, and complain about it being too hot or too cold.

The games industry usually eases off a little during the warmer weather as kids across the globe take their chances touching some grass, but for many it’s a great time to spend some time with the family, so if that strange green stuff outside is a little too daunting, Pool Party brings us family fun with bite-sized party games which are simply enough for all ages to enjoy, but will take a little getting used to, to really make the most from the ball physics.

You’ll take control of a colourful little Pool ball, there’s a range of colours to choose from, but you’ll also get a small circular indicator and a handful of minor cosmetic adjustments to help you spot who’s who.
There are two main game modes to choose from Local play and Tournaments, and then it’s time to dive in with up-to 4 local players, but you can also play against bots if your friends and family have disowned you after the last couch co-op title you player.

The recommended mode is “Party” which throws up a choice of 3 modes after each round that you can vote on to tackle next.
These modes are Free-for-all, Football, Tennis, Idol, Pool, Jinxed and Sumo which each offer a slightly different take on knocking each others balls around the screen for a few minutes.

Football has a closed arena with a goal either side, Tennis has an open (goal area) across the back of each side, (and occasionally a moving bumper to knock the ball around), While Pool has a pocket in each corner of the screen, these modes all revolve around knocking a separate ball into the specified “goal” to score points before time runs out.
Free-for-all is very similar to Pool but you’re tasked with knocking each other into the pockets, and Sumo gives you a small circular platform, where you try to clear away your competition.
The final two modes, Idol… Has a small statue you need to hold king-of-the-hill style, or knock enemies to steal it, while Jinxed is about avoiding whoever has the curse as that player gets eliminated after the time expires.

It’s a nice mix of modes, which I’ve probably made sound far more complicated than they are, but to keep things simple, controls are equally as easy, with “A” rolling in the desired direction, while “B” will kick,
Apart from the Idol and Curse, everything else you’ll hit will be a ball, so whether you’re rolling, or kicking bank shots, you’ll soon start to get used to the ball physics and intentionally knocking balls (or each other) around.

My personal favourite modes where probably Free-for-all, Pool, Jinxed and Idol…
There’s no personal vendetta against Football or Tennis, but these just didn’t have the same flow to them and when the game sometimes feels a tad sluggish, it’s the hijinx of the busier modes which really help to pump a sense of urgency into the game, this is especially true with the number of players, even if playing with 2 players, I’d recommend throwing a few bots into the fray, even with some below par AI, it’s still more exciting and entertaining when you’re not solely concentrating on one opponent all the time.

Graphically, the menu’s are well done with clear cartoon like postcards describing the mode, but the actual level design is a little simplistic, apart from those bumpers in tennis, there just wasn’t the variety I’d hope for. I would have loved a power-ups or environment buffs, (which could have been an optional toggle) to add something like ice patches to slip on, or bobbles to alter the path of the ball, maybe a super kick or dash that players could have tactically used to attack or escape.
Without these, Pool Party does feel a little predictable at times, especially when you’ve got the measure of your opponent (or the AI), and the slower than expected pace, especially with only 2 players, will leave you feeling like the matches drag on a little too much. Unfortunately, the same could be said about the audio, the repetitive chirpy summer tune is fine for 5 minutes, but after leaving the menu on to write a few paragraphs, I was soon reaching for the mute button after hearing the same tune constantly.

As with many party games, Pool Party really comes into its own when you’ve got 4 human players, no dodgy AI, less time to mull on the quiet patches and less likelihood of noticing the audio or lack of variety between stages, and when you do have a few friends or your family grouped around one screen, there’s a good fun battle, but sadly without online play, it’s not a game you’ll be wanting to spend much more than a few hours on, especially if you are playing with your balls alone.

So there’s sadly a little too much room for improvement to make it a clean sweep, and the £16.99 price-tag don’t really save on your other pockets either, but if you’re after something the younger players will find a little easier to handle, while still offering a few laughs as a group, Pool Party is still well worth considering.

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