Pure Pool PS4 Review
VooFoo Studios have arrived with their latest title Pure Pool in all its shiny glory.
Pure Pool is set in an underground funky cocktail bar with the pool table being the main attraction. VooFoo Studios have really polished their balls when it comes to the visuals, the table and the realistic pool balls. They have made it feel as realistic as possible from the movement of the balls as they kiss eachother to the chalk flying of the cue as you pot the black. To be honest it could not look more real if they tried. The 1080p image that is rendered at 60fps really shows off the next generation of gaming even if it is just a pub game!
The game itself has four single-player modes, ranging from American 8 Ball to Killer, four challenges from Royal Rumble to Perfect Potter. It also has a multiplayer mode where players can play others in one-on-one challenges, or join global and custom leagues. Each time a player is online you are updated with the notification not just for your friends but everyone who is online.
To get you started you start off with the Tutorial mode, like any game it shows you how to learn the controls and essentially how to pot a pool ball. Once you complete the tutorial you will hopefully be ready to try your luck either online or against the AI.
AI opponents are not easy, I spent a few attempts trying to beat them which is how this game becomes slightly addictive. Even impossible shots they seem to pot so dont think for one minute you will sail through the career mode.
Its Pool, what can be hard about controlling a pool cue and potting a ball? well thankfully VooFoo Studios make the ease of potting a ball simple and straight forward. The right analogue controls the speed of the cue and left analogue is used for aiming your shot. The quicker you move the right-stick, the more powerful your shot will be. There isn’t a button to view the entire table from above, but you can raise the camera view slightly just enough to see where the ball will hopefully end up. You can use the touch pad to look around the area while aiming, but the best way to look around is to use square. Circle can be used to apply spin to the ball, helping with those trick shots and to apply back-spin to the ball.
When aiming, a yellow bar will indicate when the ball you’re aiming for is going, while a white bar will show you where the cue ball will go after. These both help you to aim for pockets and line-up your next shot.
When taking the final shot to pot the last ball if you have lined up your shot and its a guaranteed sinker you are given a close up of the cue brushing the white ball with chalk dust exploding all over the table. This is a great touch from VooFoo Studios and something different rather than an action replay of the shot.
Whilst whizzing my way through the career I decided to play online and try my luck to see if I was any good, first few attempts I finally connected and won my first online match. You can offer a rematch and after a few matches you start to feel you are in your own mini tournament with the online player.
Pure Pool is a fantastic pool game with amazing next gen graphics, gameplay is solid and the online is great fun. For £7.99 / €9.99 / $12.99 you have to purchase this game and really try for yourself, if this was released as a physical copy I would not hesitate at purchasing and paying around £19.99. My evenings are now playing Pure Pool which I would never of thought would happen, addictive – yes it sure is. See you on the table hopefully soon.
