qomp2 is a puzzle arcade recreation developed by Graphite Lab and revealed by Atari. This sequel is the successor to qomp, which was initially launched in 2021. I by no means performed the primary recreation, so qomp2 is my introduction to this reimagining of Pong.
On this recreation, you play as Pong, the ball, making an attempt to interrupt free from between the 2 paddles. Although it’s implied, there’s no dialogue or straight story to comply with. The sport begins with Pong bouncing backwards and forwards between two paddles, introducing the sprint mechanic straight away. Controls are simple sufficient—maintain ZR to cost up Pong and launch to sprint. The A button adjustments Pong’s route, transferring up or down. Nonetheless, it’s essential to hit the wall if you wish to flip round. Whereas the controls are simple sufficient, that doesn’t imply the gameplay is straightforward.
Every degree is sort of a maze with mild puzzles to resolve and different obstacles to bypass so you may get out and transfer on to the subsequent stage. These would possibly embody spinning levers, spikes, breakable partitions, wind tunnels, water, and extra. It took me a while to determine the mechanics to beat a few of these obstacles. For instance, when in water, Pong strikes slowly and sinks. If you need the ball to maneuver barely sooner and upward, it’s essential to make it “swim” by tapping the A button. qomp2 does an excellent job personifying a ball.
The puzzles aren’t essentially the difficult half, although. It’s the motion. Two buttons are simple to recollect, however the gameplay is all about using angles to govern the place you need Pong to go. This implies you is perhaps caught in a single room for a while as you get the angle excellent with a view to get the ball in a selected spot. It wasn’t at all times simple; geometry isn’t my robust go well with. Truthfully, if it weren’t for the accessibility choices, I in all probability would have rage stop.
I turned off the fish eye and display shake as a result of I discovered these to be too jarring when enjoying the sport. Different choices for accessibility included hints (which I turned on, although I by no means seen what the hints had been) and raycast. I turned that on because it’ll present you the place your ball is headed. That helped me work out the angles and resolve the place I needed the ball to go.
It wasn’t till I acquired actually caught on a degree that I went again into the choices in a determined try to see if the rest would assist. I’m glad I did as a result of an alternative choice was there: invincibility. By default, it was turned off. I don’t bear in mind seeing that choice there earlier than, so I’m wondering if the sport did that on function to make sure you strive really enjoying the sport first, which is intelligent. I turned invincibility on; certain sufficient, nothing within the ranges harm me. I might cruise by means of the half I used to be caught on, solely having to fret concerning the angles and my motion. I turned the choice on and off relying on once I was actually caught. I’ll admit, there was one degree in World Three the place I had it on for the entire degree. I’d have been there for ages in any other case.
It feels like qomp2 is an extended recreation. It’s, and it isn’t. There are 30 ranges whole, however they’re comparatively brief. Generally, I unintentionally discovered a shortcut to the tip that allowed me to skip all the degree. There are not any timers, and frequent checkpoints seem on the ranges. You’ll die lots, but it surely’s not unforgiving. The sport additionally autosaves in between ranges. So, you possibly can simply decide up and play this title everytime you need. There’s one collectible in every degree, including some replayability in the event you don’t gather all of them the primary time.
After just a few ranges, you’ll face boss fights, that are cleverly accomplished. For instance, the primary boss is a giant paddle that you should sprint into just a few instances to kill it. The bosses get extra in-depth and distinctive the deeper you get into the sport.
General, qomp2 is an easy recreation, however it’ll maintain you pondering. You’ll at all times must be one step forward to make sure the ball goes the place you want it to. It’s difficult however not unforgiving, permitting you to retry the degrees as many instances as you possibly can deal with. Or, for a extra informal expertise, undergo the entire recreation with invincibility on.
