Atari
Pongis so simple that it feels like there ’s no possible way to deconstruct it . TheAtari classicis already the most fundamental multiplayer game potential , denudate competition down to a game of digital catch . And yet , developer Graphite Lab has turn the entire thought ofPongon its head with its latest game : qomp2 .
The oddball deed of conveyance is a sequel to 2021 hidden gemqomp . In that title , participant took ascendance of a runawayPongball as it tried to escape its everyday life . A one - clitoris control dodging just had players changing the direction the glob bounce in . That created a unequalled anti - platformer where players simply taste to bounce their round pal through mazes full of obstacles . It was short , minimalistic , and refined in its clever design .
Atari
Andqomp2doesn’t variety much about the premise other than adding a 2nd button , which allows me to charge up mogul and liberate it for a boost of speed . Otherwise , I ’m back to bouncing around black and white inner ear as I dodge spikes and test to lean myself off bulwark .
Perhaps the great affair that the continuation bestow to the board is maddening trouble . Graphite Lab ramp up the obstacle this time , bringing some unique wrench that had me pulling my whisker out . One set of levels has me grabbing a power - up that turn levels intoa plot ofSnake . A lily-white tail begin to delineate my path around me and , if I hit it , I die . Another degree introduces pee , which changes the aperient of the mankind entirely . I need to mash the A button so as to uprise and hold my boost to sink .
The best level cleverly iterate on the graceful original while ply some genius - bust challenges . A few too many stages , though , feel a little too frustrating for their own commodity . Precise platforming and spatial reasoning do n’t mix well with some stray bugs and sometimes irregular hit boxes . A handful of levels test my patience as I aimlessly reverberate around hunt for the right angle .
Thankfully , qomp2features a suite of accessibility features that I wound up using in some late levels — though puppet like invincibility do ultimately trivialise some puzzling challenge .
While its difficulty spike can be irregular over its tight five - hour runtime , that challenge cleverly reinforces its point . Whereasqompwas about evasion , the sequel speaks more to the idea of overcoming adversity and never retard down when life ’s challenges get up . We ’re all Pong musket ball in movement , bouncing around in search of our corking aim . It may seem dizzy to say considering how minimum qomp2 ’s “ storytelling ” is , but the modest adventure end hopefully for our darling ball as it looks to become part of something bigger . Who would have mean thatPongcould be so life - affirming ?
Graphite Lab’sqomp2launches February 20 for PlayStation 4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X / S , Nintendo Switch , microcomputer , and Atari VCS .
