POOL PANIC Review for Nintendo Switch

Adult Swim has taken everything you know about pool games and turned it on its head. Immediately, players are introduced to personified balls and unusual rules. Playing as the cue ball creates an experience that has never been seen before. Initially the controls are awkward, however, upon mastering them I found this game is just as enjoyable as it is challenging.

While gaming, I played Pool Panic by Adult Swim Games and independent developer, Rekim, on the Nintendo Switch tablet, with detached Joy-Con controllers and with the Joy-Con comfort grip controller. (It should be noted I did not use a Pro Controller while playing this game, therefore, I cannot assess its compatibility with Pool Panic). Although I initially found the controls difficult, the game became enjoyable once I was able to grasp them. I considered the difficulty of these controls may have derived from the sensitive Joy-Con controllers, therefore, if a player wants to fully enjoy this game, I suggest they play through the tutorial and experiment with the different Switch options to see which feels best to them. As I went through the first few levels I Switched between the three I have and found that I equally enjoyed using the Nintendo Switch tablet and the detached Joy-Con controllers. I concluded these combinations were comfortable and made the initially-difficult controls easier to use.

Because the illustrations are wild and outlandish, players can immediately tell Pool Panic is not your typical game of eight ball. In fact, each stage represents its own environment within this massive cartoon world. Although the stages collide together, they brilliantly separate themselves by various themes. Additionally, while some stages are classic games of pool, others include hidden obstacles. These obstacles include balls with special abilities and challenges that can negatively impact the player such as blowing wind. However, these obstacles may also be used to a player’s advantage.

The various character traits taken on by the pool balls make the game more challenging and allow for some clever ball-sinking tactics such as the solid black ball, which can help the players sink multiple balls at once if used correctly. In contrast, if interrupted at the wrong time the angry ball may disrupt the entire table with no reward. Luckily the different mannerisms are distinguished by color so players do not accidentally disturb an angry ball or waste a shot on a ball that runs away from them.

Adult Swim Games produces content known for their clever illustrations, and Pool Panic delivers on this expectation by personifying their pool balls and creating vibrant, color-rich backgrounds. This vivid color scheme utilizes the graphics of the Nintendo Switch tablet and my Vizio smart TV. Despite the game’s great color scheme, one downfall I noticed was their choice to have a color such as yellow signify the ball’s direction. While playing on a light background, I found myself hitting balls in the wrong direction due to the cue’s light line color. If I were to tweak something it would include an option to change player cue color! Overall, this would make for an easier play.

Rating: 7/10

Check Out the New Pool Panic Gameplay Trailer:

Pool Panic is available for Nintendo Switch through the Nintendo eShop and Windows PC via Steam. For more information on Pool Panic, visit http://www.poolpanic.com.