It would have been easy to review Fez next, given that it's just seen a re-release on the PC - but since my past two entries have also been platformers I thought I'd change it up a bit. And now (in the words of Montgomery Python) for something completely different...
Your host for this evening is a unicorn. Yes, along with his friends the crab, the rabbit, the alien, the pumpkin, the dragon and the owl. You're still here? Good! Because once you get past the initial silliness there's actually an incredibly addictive, challenging and fun puzzle game here. And a lot more silliness.
The basic premise of the gameplay is that you fire a ball from the top of the screen and try to hit as many of the 'pegs' as you can on the way down. At the start of each level, 25 of the pegs are turned orange and you need to clear all of these to clear the level. The selection of pegs that turn orange is randomised each time so every time you load up a level it will be slightly different. The majority of the pegs remain blue but hitting these will still get you points towards your high score and in a lot of cases you'll need to knock some of these on the head to access the orange ones.
Each level has the pegs laid out differently so there is usually a particular approach you should take rather than just hit and hope. Each character has their own special power that you can activate - one of them gives you pinball like flippers, one allows you to see a projected path that the ball will take on your shot so you can line up the perfect bounce to take out as many pegs as possible while another ability will automatically adjust your shot ever so slightly to get you the best outcome and can result in some truly high scoring shots! These powers don't really change the game that much, but that's a good thing as it means all the levels are as fun as each other while still giving them a fresh twist.
You typically have 10 shots to play around with in order to clear the level but there's the extra gameplay mechanic of a moving pot at the bottom of the screen that adds an extra layer of complexity to your tactics - should your ball land in the pot it gets added to your total again, so if you can pull it off you will essentially get a free shot. This can prove very valuable, especially if you're lining up a very tricky shot - time it right and even if you miss you'll get your ball back.
The graphics in Peggle are pretty simple, but they're sharp, bright and really engaging. Even the background images are well thought out and add to the overall atmosphere of the game. What really takes Peggle to the next level though is the sound - it gives this otherwise simple puzzle game a really epic feel. From the effects of the ball bouncing about racking up points to the compelling soundtrack. Finish a level and rather than a simple "Well done" message you have an over the top celebration complete with Ode To Joy blaring out of your speakers. As you close in on your last orange peg the camera zooms in and the game is slowed down so even a near miss feels epic!
Peggle probably suffered a bit by being released too early to take full advantage of it's target audience. If it had came out after the massive success of Angry Birds then I think it would have taken off massively as in my opinion it's a far superior puzzle game. It's the type of game your parents, grandparents, girlfriend etc. would enjoy, but to be honest I'd be surprised if any gamer doesn't have a great time playing it. If you've played it and you didn't enjoy it, there's a pretty good chance you have no soul.
It's difficult to explain the joy of Peggle with mere words so check out the video below and then find a way to play it yourself. I played it on XBLA, but it's available on almost any format so really you have no excuse! If you're looking for a time-killer that you can plan to play for 10 minutes but still be there two hours later then this is the one.
