As a casual pool player, I find the sport of pool to be a great way to unwind after a long day at the office. Even in its digital format, pool can be an entertaining sport when its shared with friends, family or even strangers in a competitive online environment. Pure Pool by developer VooFoo Studios is a simple, but realistic depiction of America’s favorite social pastime.
The game’s backdrop takes place inside a dimly lit cocktail bar that is full of activity. But since the game’s focus is on the pool table itself and not the surroundings, everything from the people to other pool tables are blurred out to help the player focus on the game.
It’s obvious that developer VooFoo Studios perfected the physics in this release. You can almost feel the cue ball bounce off the adjacent pool balls with great force, as they make their rebound impact off the pool table’s cushions. It feels like a real game of pool, and veteran players will feel right at home when they play. But for novices just learning the ropes, there is a visual cue system that indicates where the cue ball will travel and which balls it will impact (along with their trajectory). During more difficult shots, the cue system makes the visual cues less obvious to add some challenge to the gameplay. For example – a shot that requires more of a hook will create a faded line instead of a solid one.
While the game doesn’t provide a campaign mode in single-player, it does include a ‘Free Play’ mode for practicing. A local 2-player option is available if you prefer to play with a friend, but the game really shines when you compete against other players online. Online matches can be selected from the ‘My Games’ tab, which is accessed from the main menu by pressing the ‘Option’ button. The game provides a ‘Quick Game’ option to randomly search for an online opponent, and the ‘My League’ tab allows the player to setup their Skill Level, Game Type and Match Count. The game types range from the standard US 8-Ball to VooFoo’s own Accumlator; no other game types are available.
The game’s AI is a credit to itself, as it provides a good challenge from amateur to masters. As it stands, all difficulty levels provide a strong game of pool regardless of your skill level. The most innovative feature, though, is Pure Pool’s DNA download feature. Like Forza 5, the player can download the DNA of an online opponent and play offline against a virtual version of that player. It’s a great way to learn from your opponents, especially if you like to play against the same ones.
In theory, the DNA system records your play style over multiple games, and then creates an AI based on the data collected. While I have not been able to play against my own AI during the course of this review, I can attest to the quality of the DNA system itself — I have played some DNA matches against gamers I have played via PSN, and the play styles were relatively similar. For example – the player in real life would make an occasional mistake, while the DNA version would play a near-perfect game of pool. It’s not a perfect system, but it does provide the player with new opponents to play while offline.
Incidentally, the DualShock 4’s touch pad is used to look around the pool table. When the Square button is pressed and held, the player can walk around the pool table to re-position a crucial shot. While these features are not important, they do help the game stand out above the rest.
Pure Pool is a fantastic game with an active online community. Here’s hoping that future releases will have additional pool tables and backgrounds to add more variety to the experience.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Playstation 4
Developer: VooFoo Studios
Publisher: VooFoo Studios
ESRB: E (Everyone)
Price: $9.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| There isn't much to look at, but what there is looks beautiful in HD. | |
| Sound | |
| The clacking of balls (sic) never sounded better. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Thanks to the DNA system and vibrant online community, Pure Chess' gameplay never grows stale. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Pool enthusiasts will enjoy Pure Pool's rock-solid table physics and active online community. | |
