Pure Pool Review
Developer: VooFoo Games
Format: PS4, PC
Release Date: Out Now
The Development team behind Hustle Kings is back with a PS4 iteration of their popular pool playing series. Pure Pool boasts the most realistic pool playing simulation experience on any console. And to be honest, its probably correct.
Pure Pool is a beautiful game. It doesn’t just possess high res, realistic graphics, it accurately establishes the atmosphere of one of the classic pool halls of the ages. The surroundings have been excellently captured from the dim lighting surrounding the tables to the dull carpeting barely visible behind the players, every conceivable touch has been added to this game to give the player a sense of immersion. What looks surprisingly good is how well the ivory balls look. The shine on the balls in hustle kings tended to make them look a little unrealistic but in Pure Pool, the lighting effects capture the glossy sheen of the pool balls perfectly. And one of my favourite touches is the slow motion strike when the finishing shot of the game is made. This masterfully catches the barely noticeable compression of the pool cue head and the impact with the ball causes a minor cloud of chalk to appear. It’s a simple touch but it also gives immediate vindication when you are on the black and you are wondering if your shot has been successful.
As with the previous incarnation, there is a neon indicator of what path the balls you strike will take. This works well to imitate how pool works in real life, the short shots are easier to accomplish as the strike paths can be clearly navigated into pockets. Where the difficulty comes in is from long range shots where it is difficult to see exactly what path the balls will follow. The camera is set to act as if you were actually playing pool yourself, so there is no convenient overhead view to perfect your aiming, something which makes the game seem even more authentic. The controls are quite simple with very little in the way of a HUD to assist you in executing a shot. It is quite difficult to master a softer shot, I was able to feather touch the ball or whack it brutally, but anything in between was quite difficult to achieve.
The game itself has multiple game modes available from the beginning, including online multiplayer and career mode. Navigating through the main menus reveal a simple and slightly un-intuitive interface. The main career mode goes along a stretch of tournaments with each match containing multiple challenges that vary from match to match. These challenges can vary from things like “Complete the match in 150 seconds” or “Pot a ball off the break”. This keeps the game from getting too repetitive and adds a form of replayability to the matches before you move on to the other game modes.
In summary, Pure Pool is without parallel in the pool simulation stakes, and as long as pool is your cup of tea, this game should keep you nicely entertained. To a casual player, this could keep you busy for a while, there are no random rule changes that seem to permeate various people’s perception of the game, such as stick pockets for the black or available locations for ball placement when an opponent commits a foul. Its graphically impressive, relatively easy to pick up but without a love for the game, you might find yourself getting bored quickly.
Score: 3.5/5
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