Pool Party is a cute, Mario Party styled minigame package from developer Lakeview Games. Fair disclaimer, although I had fun playing against the AI, Pool Party, like Mario Party, is definitely going to be a game that becomes more fun with friends and family involved. Another note to keep in mind is that the game absolutely requires a controller to play, make sure you have at least a few on hand if you plan to get a group together. With that said, let us dive into the pool!
Pool Party contains one of my favorite things – puns. When I first heard the name, I thought it would involve the water, but no! It actually means that you play as a bunch of billiard balls, which not only allows for some engaging gameplay, but is also cute as heck, as you can customize the features of your player ball, such as the colors, if they have stripes or full color, etc. You will command your ball as you play games of sumo, tennis, keep away (a voodoo curse!), and suitably, a game of pool.
The gameplay is as easy to pick up and play as it gets, suitable for a wide audience. You move with the joystick and can either do a quick kick against other players or objects, or, charge up like Sonic the Hedgehog and spin dash into someone else, which will create more chaos for both yourself and the poor sod that you hit. All the while, you can hear the satisfying crack of the balls as it sounds in billiards. As mentioned, there are a variety of minigames, and all play quickly and pretty satisfyingly. I definitely enjoyed sumo for quicker rounds for points, and keep away with the voodoo curse was really classic fun as well.
I do wish there were more than just the seven minigames however, and for the price of twenty dollars, it does seem to be a good deal lacking in content. I am sure more is to come down the line, however, this is probably a purchase you only want to make if you have more people to play with you. It is a robust and well-made game, and I do recommend it as a party game, but just as one does not play pool by themselves, you should not play Pool Party by yourself, as half the fun is the competition, trash talking, and laughs that you have with your loved ones.
Rating: 7.5/10
Pool Party is available for PC via Steam, the PlayStation Store, and the Nintendo eShop.
Related: Reviews by Matt O’Toole
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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