Introduction
Basic information
- Developer Name: Red Nexus Games
- Full Name: Peglin
- Release Date: April 25, 2023 (PC) August 27, 2024 (Nintendo Switch)
- Released on: Nintendo Switch, PC
- Cross Play: Not Available
Initial thoughts
My wife and I first spotted the game Peglin during a Nintendo Direct combined with an Indie showcase. We were immediately intrigued by its mix of strategy and pachinko elements. I managed to get a key for free through Keymailer, and Simone, was going to embark on this charming Peglin adventure. What followed was a fun, unique experience that felt fresh in a sea of games.
Story and setting
Plot overview
In Peglin, you play as a small, adventurous creature (the Peglin) whose task is to stop a greedy dragon from stealing its gold. Every time a Peglin falls, another rises to take its place, continuing the battle against the relentless dragon. While the story is simple and functional for this type of game, it doesn’t delve into deeper world-building or character development. The concept of a never-ending battle with the dragon gives the game an interesting rogue-lite flavor, but it’s not a narrative-driven experience.
World building and immersion
The game’s world is charming in its simplicity, with various environments to explore, but it doesn’t offer much in terms of deep immersion. The setting works well for the core gameplay but doesn’t leave a lasting impression beyond being a backdrop to the Peglin’s journey.
Character development
There’s little to no character development, but that’s not a negative in this case. Peglin is more about the gameplay and less about character arcs or complex stories. The simplicity of its setting and characters serves its purpose.
Emotional impact
The emotional stakes are low, as the game is more about strategy and fun than any significant emotional investment. That said, the gameplay itself is engaging enough to keep players hooked.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with a 6.5
While the story is not that amazing, it does explain the reason a new peglin rises each time, this is something, a lot of indie roguelike games forget to explain. Not the strongest point of this game, we are here for the gameplay.
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
The gameplay of Peglin is where it truly shines. It masterfully blends the deck-building strategy of games like Slay the Spire with the satisfying physics of pachinko. Each turn involves launching orbs into a field of pegs, which dictates how much damage you deal to enemies. This mix of strategy, skill, and a bit of luck keeps every battle fresh and exciting. Figuring out which orbs and relics to use adds a layer of strategy that makes each run feel unique.
Difficulty and balance
The game strikes a fantastic balance between difficulty and accessibility. While luck does play a role, understanding the mechanics and making strategic decisions is key to success. The variety of orbs, relics, and upgrades ensures that no two runs are the same. However, some difficulty spikes can feel sudden, and certain relic or orb combinations can make the game a breeze in later stages, which could use some balance tweaks.
Pacing of the game
Pacing is one of the game’s strengths. The rogue-lite nature of the game allows players to make steady progress, even if they fail. However, runs can sometimes stretch longer than expected due to the randomness of the pachinko mechanics, making it feel a bit repetitive after extended play.
Innovation and uniqueness
The combination of pachinko mechanics with deck-building strategy is an incredibly innovative concept. It’s rare to see a game that mixes these two genres so effectively, making Peglin feel fresh and unique in a sea of indie roguelikes.
Controls and user interface
The controls are simple and responsive, with intuitive mechanics that make it easy to learn but difficult to master. The user interface is clean, though it could benefit from a few more visual cues to track items and upgrades more effectively during battle. There is also a bestiary that could use some more explanation, since I had to look it up online, but it is a neat feature to learn more about your enemies.
Microtransactions
There are no microtransactions in Peglin.
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 9.
I had not expected to find something with such an innovative mechanic, and boy, I do like me some pachinko!
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The pixelated graphics in Peglin are charming, though not groundbreaking. The simplicity works well for the game’s lighthearted tone, but it doesn’t stand out in terms of visual design. There is, however, a decent variety of enemy types and environments that keep the game visually interesting, even if the graphics aren’t the most detailed.
Technical performances
The game performs smoothly on the Switch, with no noticeable frame drops or bugs during our playthrough. However, the graphics don’t push the hardware in any significant way, meaning it runs well but doesn’t particularly dazzle.
Environment and design uniqueness
Each environment is distinct, from forested areas to lava-filled caverns, but they serve more as backdrops to the gameplay than immersive worlds. While the settings don’t break new ground, they provide a nice visual change as you progress through the game.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 7.0
I do like that the enemies can be seen in the bestiary.
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The music in Peglin is decent but can become repetitive after extended play sessions. The soundtrack is light and fitting for the game’s tone, but it lacks variety. More musical tracks or dynamic changes in the soundtrack would help prevent it from becoming monotonous during longer runs.
Sound effects quality
The sound effects are well done and add a satisfying layer to the gameplay. Hitting pegs and bouncing orbs around the screen is made more enjoyable by the crisp, clear sounds accompanying every action. It even makes me nervous as it starts bouncing the wrong way while my wife is playing the game.
Voice Acting
There is no voice acting in Peglin, which is not a drawback given the game’s focus on gameplay rather than narrative.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 6.5
The sound effects are already great, but the soundtracks in the game could use some improvement.
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
There’s plenty to do in Peglin, with multiple difficulty levels, four distinct characters, and new items and relics to discover with each run. The rogue-lite structure means that no two playthroughs are the same, giving the game significant replay value.
Extra Content
As you progress through different difficulty levels, you unlock new items, orbs, and relics. The game has a satisfying amount of content, though it could benefit from future updates to add more relics, characters, or environments to keep things fresh over time.
Replay value
With new relics and orbs to discover on each run, and different difficulty levels to challenge yourself, Peglin has great replayability. The unique mix of strategy and pachinko mechanics makes every run feel different, and the constant sense of progression keeps you coming back for more.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Peglin with an 8.5
There are also custom runs if you enjoy playing more to your style.
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
- More Variety in Music: The soundtrack becomes repetitive after a while, so adding more variety would greatly enhance the overall experience.
- Additional Visual Polish: While the pixel art style works, a bit more graphical refinement could elevate the game’s presentation and make it feel more polished.
- More Relic and Orb Variety: Adding more relics, orbs, and characters in future updates would help keep the game feeling fresh over the long term.
Comparisons
Peglin stands out for its unique blend of pachinko and deck-building, setting it apart from other roguelikes like Slay the Spire. While it shares some DNA with other strategy games, its pachinko mechanics give it a playful, random element that is unlike anything else on the market. Compared to other indie titles, Peglin is innovative, though it could benefit from a bit more development time to refine its graphics and sound.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
The pachinko mechanic was a lot of fun, and Simone had a blast navigating the map and taking down enemies using the pegs. When Simone built a bulwark-based loadout and stacked over 600 shields during the final boss fight, the dragon didn’t stand a chance. It was satisfying to see her completely overpower the boss using a clever strategy, and moments like this made the game memorable. Then, there was the next run, and a different final boss appeared, she also crushed that one, but from difficulty three, it seems the game wants to take revenge
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Peglin, I give it a personal rating of 9.
Last words
Pros
- Unique blend of pachinko and deck-building mechanics
- Engaging, strategic gameplay with a good balance of skill and luck
- High replayability with multiple difficulty levels and characters
- Smooth performance on Nintendo Switch
- Plenty of enemy variety and distinct environments
- Fun, intuitive controls with strategic depth
- Satisfying physics-based combat and puzzle-solving
Cons
- Repetitive soundtrack, could benefit from more variety
- Pixel art, while charming, could use more polish
- Some bosses are unfair for certain builds
Peglin offers a fresh and fun experience, blending pachinko mechanics with strategic deck-building in a way that feels innovative and satisfying. While it’s not without its minor flaws—such as a repetitive soundtrack and somewhat basic graphics—it’s a solid title that provides hours of entertainment. With a little more development time to refine some elements, it could become a true indie classic. For now, it’s a great game that we’ll keep coming back to, especially for the creative strategies and unique gameplay loops.
Final Rating
8.5
Please let me know what you think of Peglin in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
If you liked reading this review, maybe you would like to share this review with your friends.
fano23
I like pixel art games and, while overall this is a good one, it's true that some stuff could be more polished
Ilan Vertone
I enjoyed the demo for this game, so it's great to see that the full version is just as awesome!
HassanTheCobra
My brother keeps asking me to play this game, and after I read your review and watched the YouTube video, I noticed that it's really similar to the game Peggle, which I absolutely love, and used to play it a lot back when I was a child, so I might actually play it soon if that's the case. Thanks for the review!
Alamar
I think it is a great game, i will surely play it in near future. Very good review and nice that you with Simone showed us this game 🙂
Silentrets
Even has good game, its price expensive to me. Thanks for review!
fLuke
i don't think it's expensive for you. you buy every game. 😀
fLuke
thanks for the review. wishlisted
emperoru
is pretty cool when the game adding other games mechanics to their games (for example poker, match 3 and etc)
Twigas_Hobbes
looks like an interesting idea 🤔
reminds me a bit of Yoku's Island express. That's a mix of Metroidlike with Pinball mechanics 👍
Vibe
Thank you for the review!
Delicious Bacon
Wow, sounds like we got something innovative in this one. The mechanics are surprising because it combines a game within a game during the combat. I'd love to see more of combos like that. 😀
Blink
Good game, more content will be good
Nicole
Adding right to my wishlist!! This game looks perfect for me! Sounds like it has a perfect blend of relics, luck and fun skill! The artstyle is really cute too! I remember playing Peggle and I absolutely loved that game 🙂
long shade
Interesting game.
Rezonono
Really interesting concept.
Vitalikboykiller
I like rogue-lite games. This game and review are awesome!
Yoshima
I really like deck building games, and this one looks really unique, too.
ZeroKasa
The game seems to be really interesting, and I guess I really need to learn pachinko in-depth before giving it a try, it's probably not needed but I just can't help it.
FranckCastle
Seen this game on Steamgifts a lot, didn't expect it to be pachinko, lol. Seems nice, though!