Peggle
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Game Reviewed: Peggle
Publisher: PopCap
Developer: PopCap
Reviewer: Thaius Tydane
Platform: PC (also on PS3, Xbox360, DS, iPhone)
Category: Puzzle
ERSB Rating: E
Game Description
Another game by PopCap (the company that made such classics
as Bejeweled and the more recent Plants vs. Zombies), Peggle is an addicting
fun-fest of a game. There is not much
point to it, but when you need a few minutes to unwind, you cannot go wrong
with Peggle.
The gameplay consists of shooting metal balls at multicolored
pegs: the goal is to hit (thus eliminating) all the orange pegs. Many blue pegs litter the playing field as
well, blocking the orange pegs, causing you to have to eliminate the blue pegs
as well to get to your objective. If you
can eliminate all the orange pegs before running out of balls, you win. There is also a bucket moving from side to
side on the bottom, which will give you a free ball if your ball ends up
landing in it. Of course the entire game
is not this simple: plenty of things along the way will mess with the formula,
such as different placements of pegs, colored bricks rather than pegs, and
moving pegs. In addition to all this,
there are different characters to play as at the beginning of each round, and
each character has a different ability that will be activated when you hit one
of the two green pegs on each level.
These abilities range from a huge-peg-eliminating explosion to a fire
ball that burns through all the pegs it comes in contact with.
Of course, the potential for violence, language, and sex in
a game like this is… well, pretty much nonexistent, but there are still a
couple minor things parents might want to know about.
What Parents Need to
Know
Violence
Peggle is about as violent and gruesome as that Plinko game
from The Price is Right.
Language
Never is there a hint of bad language in Peggle.
Sexual Content
No sexual content.
Spiritual Content
A couple of the character's special abilities in Peggle have some minor spiritual influence. The first of these characters is Renfield, a
Jack-o-lantern who gives you the “spooky ball.”
When this ability is activated, the ball will fall to the bottom of the
screen, but rather than ending that turn, it will reappear at the top as if it
were brought back from the dead.
The other character is an owl named Master Hu. His power is the Zen ball, which calculates a
minor adjustment to give your shot as many points as possible. Master Hu talks a bit about Zen, mostly in a
joking way. His levels include things
like yin-yangs in the background.
A Child’s Perspective
My nephew Logan is 4 years old, and he has a complete grasp
on this game. Every time he comes over
he asks if he can play Peggle. If I am working on my computer, he asks if he
can play it on my mom or sister’s computer.
He enjoys it immensely, and though he does not quite grasp the strategy
of some of it, he understands the usefulness of each power and uses them pretty
well. He loves the game. Admittedly, kids that age are pretty easily
entertained, but this has been my experience with kids of all ages: Peggle is a
simple game to learn, but difficult to master.
In other words, Peggle is great for kids, but adults are sure to enjoy
it as well.
Reviewers Thoughts
PopCap seems to be the master of addiction: their games have
a reliable tendency to be rather simple, wildly fun, and impossible to put
down. Peggle is a great example of
this. It is hard to describe the joy in
lining up a shot, the anxiety in watching the ball bounce around the pegs and the
excitement when it is bouncing around the free ball bucket. There is a charm to this game, an undeniable
attraction that pulls you in and keeps you there, not because of its strength,
but simply because you do not want to leave.
Some playful Halloween-related content and mild references
to Eastern religion may turn off some parents, but Peggle is an easy way to
have fun with the whole family. Not only
is it a blast to watch (nothing like a crowd around the computer cheering in
excitement or booing in disappointment at a bouncing ball onscreen), but there
is also a multiplayer mode, where players take turns to try and earn the most
points. Just be careful: Peggle is addicting
and the hours wasted with this one can pile up!
