This week I’ve had the chance to play the new indie game “Pure Pool”, so that I could provide you guys a review.
The first thing to say about this game is that it does exactly what It says on the box. …and on that basis it has got to be the best pool simulator that has ever been made. Even as a “casual” pool player this game impressed me from the first shot I hit. It was quickly apparent to me that VooFoo Studios knew exactly what they were doing.
Jumping into the game you immediately realise that this isn’t just another one of those millions of crap pool games you can buy on your smartphone. This game is absolutely swathed in class and style, with a great setting and ambient bar noises. Its the many little touches that show you that this game was made people who love and appreciate this bar sport.
As you get through the tutorial the game shows you how to hit basic shots, and then throws you into free mode. This is the mode you’ll enter every time you boot the game up. It allows you to play a game of pool casually and to practise your shots. There are no rules so you can just do whatever you want. This is great for casual play or practice, without any pressure of losing the game.
It doesn’t take long to get the hang of the controls. The game gives you a white line to show you where the white ball will travel, and a yellow line shows you where the ball you want to hit will go. You can hit it as hard or soft as you want, with total control over the and use spin when necessary. The lines get harder to see as your targets get further away and the game definitely makes it much easier to hit shots that are close together, just like in real life.
Most importantly, the game knows what it wants to be, which is more than you can say for a lot of games coming out at the moment. It was a genuine pleasure to play a game that’s not trying to outdo itself, this really is “Pure Pool”.
If you’re looking for something a little more serious then you can start a career. This sees you join a tournament (either US 8-ball or a 9-Ball) where you beat offline characters at different levels. You start the first level being an amateur and you move up to the next tournament once you collect enough stars. Stars are obtained from beating the characters or beating the speed challenges – or alternatively for the ‘perfect potting’ challenge.
You can also challenge your friends to games online or alternatively play “couch co-op” -which is a nice change from splitscreen shooters. There is a leaderboard where you can see all of your friends’ scores, along with how many games they have won, lost, potted balls legally (and illegally) which is good for bragging rights! This is definitely a social, casual game, and I enjoyed it most while in a party with others. Even when you’re all just waiting for everybody to decide what to play it creates a great atmosphere. It also starts up quickly and the free-mode starts up automatically, which is perfect for a drop-in style of game.
As you get better at the game you can start unlocking different cues and from the get-go you can change the table felt to whatever colour and design that you fancy. This is a nice touch, though I was hoping for a little more. For example I would have liked to change destination of the pool table which could have different music and background. The “chilled bar music” is great but after 5-6 hours it could put me to sleep, even after drinking my bodyweight of red bull.
The best thing about this game is how it feels. The feel of the controls is wonderful, and it looks even better. The vibration in the controller every time you strike the ball is a great touch. Best of all, when you pot the black ball the slow motion, close up shot of the cue knocking the ball and finishing the game never ever gets old. You can also get up and look around the table while in game, to see what options you have.
The negatives are in the minority, but there are one or two. For example I wish I could see a more detail of my last shot/s, such as which ball I had knocked in, and how many I had left. Also, it would be great to have some different choices of music and different destinations with different themes and atmosphere. This would have been nice, but not having them doesn’t really take away anything from this game. It would have also been nice to have a few characters to play against, As it stands, we play against a picture and a name, but there are no actual characters whatsoever. It would have been interesting to see a few personalities. But maybe this would take away from the play, as it’s far from arcade-ish (That’s a word now).
If you’re not a keen pool player (and even if you are) it would be hard to recommend this game at a full AAA game price. But at under 10 pound this is definitely a game you need to pick up. It won’t suck up hours of your time per sitting, but it really does need to be in your collection.
^Bezz Jr (@JackCBerry)
It’s a brilliant, fun, sociable title that’s going to be pinned onto my home dashboard, and I dare any of you to challenge me to a game.
Bezz Jr was a community contributor to ICXM, writing 2 articles in 2014 covering game reviews, and Xbox news. ICXM operated as an independent Xbox and Windows gaming outlet through the early Xbox One era, when the platform’s library and policies were still being reshaped after the 2013 reveal, drawing from a rotating bench of editorial volunteers. They post on X as @JackCBerry.