I’ve always found myself on the sidelines when it comes to Peggle. The concept of simply watching without much interaction didn’t appeal to me. However, when Peglin popped up unexpectedly on the Nintendo Switch after a Nintendo Direct presentation, my curiosity was piqued. I wondered if it could captivate me like an idle game. Considering my growing appreciation for pinball-esque games, I thought Peglin might be the perfect blend. While it didn’t transform me into a pachinko enthusiast, I found myself returning to its simple, yet engaging mechanics of shooting balls at digital foes.
Peglin is a classic roguelike indie game where the objective is to outwit and outfight a slew of adversaries, upgrading your arsenal and skills along the way before confronting the formidable boss. It doesn’t tread new territory in terms of gameplay innovation, and from the get-go, it lays its basics bare. The art style, reminiscent of something created in Microsoft Paint, isn’t my cup of tea, but it serves its purpose. The diverse array of enemies and locations ensures that each journey through Peglin feels distinct and adventurous.
It’s really the gameplay that determines whether Peglin will resonate with you. The core action involves launching orbs at a board brimming with pegs. The more pegs you hit, the more potent the damage your orb will deliver to the enemies at the top. Your primary control is directing the orb’s trajectory. Some pegs offer perks like extra coins, damage boosts, critical hits, or other strategic advantages. After each round, you have the chance to either purchase new orbs or invest in powering up the ones you already possess. The combinations can become delightfully intricate as items collected along the way enhance your orb’s abilities. There’s a thoughtful balance here; for instance, an item might enable a multiball effect, splitting your shots, but restrict your firing angles. These dynamics create a compelling challenge, particularly against bosses who can sabotage your board by laying snares or summoning fresh enemies.
Personally, my relationship with Peglin is a mixed bag. On one hand, I relish the action of launching orbs and racking up damage like a high-stakes pinball match. On the other hand, the passive nature of much of the gameplay left me yearning for more engagement. Post-launch, your strategic options are curtailed—choosing the target for your attack is crucial, especially against tougher foes, but that’s about it. The game doesn’t offer deep involvement in tactical development. Additionally, the sparse tutorials left gaps in my understanding of the mechanics. For instance, I discovered far too late that you can discard orbs to speed up access to others with elemental effects—an oversight that added a layer of unnecessary strategizing over actual play, which was a hurdle to overcome.
As with many roguelikes, Peglin has a fair amount of randomness baked in. At times, I found myself stuck at a dead-end I might’ve avoided with better luck or more health between battles. Missed critical hits could turn the tide against me, and progress felt ephemeral, as nothing carries over between attempts. The furthest I got seemed more the result of luck rather than skill. This randomness can be a dealbreaker for some players and led to periods where I’d put the game aside. Yet, despite this, I found myself repeatedly drawn back by the addictive charm of trying to beat my previous best.
In conclusion, Peglin isn’t going to appeal to everyone. Its roguelike framework, coupled with its dependency on chance, took a while to grow on me. The lack of clear tutorials and limited influence over the playing field could be frustrating. But there’s genuinely a solid game beneath these quirks that kept luring me back. Nailing the right combo of attacks and elemental powers offers a distinct joy—dispatching bosses in just a few moves is exhilarating. Although the entry barrier is higher than I’d prefer, once you start, it’s hard to stop. Peglin has the potential to be a staple in one’s gaming rotation, perfect for those times you want a backdrop of engaging challenge. I can’t predict the future for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Peglin sticks around in the gaming world for quite a while.
