Summer is the perfect time for multiplayer party games, and Pool Party seems to bring just enough chaos and silliness to the billiards formula to keep it entertaining.
Pool Party is a good little effort, albeit one that’s very light on content. Set up as a collection of billiards-based minigames, up to 4 people play varieties of the sport to win as many points as possible. The catch is that it’s physics-based, so that no matter what game we’re playing we need to actually plan our pulls and shots — and it can get chaotic very quickly. That’s a good thing. That’s the best thing. Because, even if someone it typically good at billiards, all it takes is one person being bad at the physics aspect to throw a massive wrench into the plans and level out the playing field.
Yes, being bad is actually good here, because the nature of the little balls means that they will undoubtedly cause problems for everyone when they bounce around, miss, or hit whomever and whatever is in their way, setting off a chain reaction as the clock ticks away.
The game takes place on a single screen, with all four (local) players commanding a ball of their choice. The variety of game types include a standard “knock your ball into the corner” mode, or “knock you opponent into the corner” mode, with variations of each. There are other sport themed modes like Tennis or Football (soccer!) that require aiming for a net or across a court. There are even modes that play keep away or last ball standing as players are tasked with maneuvaring more than attacking.
And that’s pretty much it. There are a handful of fun modes, but all of the playfields are visually the same and the there aren’t any ways to meaningfully change up the play. It’s light on content, and therefore likely won’t last too long in play sessions. But I guess that’s the point? We’re not meant to be sucked into this game. We’re meant to play with our non-gaming friends or grandparents or the young kids in our family, and going beyond a simple structure might alienate some of those folk. It just feels like something is missing — some aspect to really put this over the top. Maybe more character styles and animations? Maybe selectable playfields? Maybe challenges? I don’t know, but 10-15 minutes — essentially one run through the game — is likely enough for many as they wait to play Mario Party or Switch Sports or something else that’s a bit bigger.
Pool Party is basic, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad — it’s “enough” of a game to create some fun physics-based chaos with others. I just wish there was a little something more to keep me coming back for extra sessions.
This review was based on a Nintendo Switch eShop code sent to SideQuesting by the publisher. It first appeared on The SideQuest LIVE on May 19, 2024. Images and video courtesy Mindscape and Lakeview Games.
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