I’ve never really been one to dive into the world of Peggle. The idea of sitting back and watching the action unfold with minimal input doesn’t really gel with me. But when Peglin unexpectedly dropped for the Nintendo Switch following a Nintendo Direct, my curiosity was piqued. Perhaps this could be an idle-style game that would capture my attention. Given my growing interest in pinball-esque games, I hoped Peglin might offer a happy medium. While it didn’t exactly transform me into a fanatic for pachinko-like games, its core mechanics did manage to draw me back repeatedly to send orbs flying at foes.
Let me know if this sounds familiar: Peglin is a roguelike indie game where you clear out enemies while leveling up your arsenal and abilities, progressing toward a showdown with a formidable boss. It doesn’t exactly revolutionize the genre but clearly lays out its premise for newcomers. Its visual style, though not my cup of tea, with what seems like a touch of Microsoft Paint in its pixel art, serves its purpose adequately. A diverse array of enemy types and settings keeps the journey through Peglin’s universe engaging.
The real deciding factor with Peglin is its gameplay. You fire an orb at a peg-filled board, and each struck peg amplifies the damage dealt to the enemies perched above. Your primary input is selecting the direction to fire your orb. Certain pegs offer bonuses like more coins, increased damage, critical hits, or other attributes to enhance your attack. After each round, you’ve got the option to purchase new orbs to add to your lineup or bolster the potency of existing ones. A variety of interesting orb combinations and items can enhance your journey, offering a balanced challenge. For instance, I discovered an item that duplicated every orb launched, although it restricted firing directions, adding a layer of strategy to overcome—in particular during boss battles, which toss hurdles like sticky lines between pegs or spawn new foes on your board.
My time with Peglin was a mixed bag. On one hand, orchestrating high-damage maneuvers reminiscent of pinball was a blast. But the inherent passivity couldn’t be ignored. Post-launch, there’s little room for strategy outside of selecting targets—a must when up against bosses or swarms. Unfortunately, tutorials are somewhat lacking, leaving you to figure things out, like the ability to discard orbs to hasten more potent, elemental attacks. I found myself bogged down in strategizing more than actually playing, which sometimes felt like a hurdle.
Being a roguelike, Peglin involves a fair bit of luck, often landing me in situations where victory seemed within reach but slipped away, largely due to scarce health recovery options or missing critical pegs. With no permanent upgrades post-run, starting fresh each time was inevitable. Progress often felt like a stroke of luck more than skill, which could be a dealbreaker for some. It was enough to shelve the game periodically, yet its simplistic, addictive nature always drew me back, spurring me to push forward in my quest.
Peglin isn’t universally appealing. Its roguelike setup, paired with the requisite element of luck to see it through to the end, took time to resonate with me. The lack of detailed mechanics and limited control left me somewhat frustrated. Yet, beneath it all, there’s a very enjoyable game at Peglin’s core, one that pulled me back repeatedly. When you nail a powerful combo, the joy in toppling bosses with a few well-placed shots is undeniable. While the entry barrier is a touch steep for my liking, once the orbs started flying, I couldn’t tear myself away. Ultimately, Peglin feels like one of those go-to background games, perfect for players to revisit time and again. Though I can’t predict the future with certainty, it seems Peglin might just hold its ground for the foreseeable future.
