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Who would have imagined that in the middle of 2020 we would witness the return of a whole historical video game like PONG, a complete legend of 1972 by Atari and the first commercial success of the Magnavox Odyssey, with a threat of roguelike quite permissive for Steam (later on consoles) called PONG Quest.

Although at that time it enjoyed multiple deliveries where it gradually improved its formula until Atari launched the revolutionary Breakout in 1976, Pong disappeared from the map for a long time until in 1999 his remake for PlayStation, Pong: The Next Level. But it was no longer the same. And now it turns out that it has become an RPG where we will go through multiple dungeons.

From the surrealism of PONG Quest …

It is quite shocking to get into a video game like PONG Quest, because it is not easy to discover that a classic like Pong, which was basically a game of ping pong Where we controlled a shovel to hit a ball and it crossed the rival's barrier to score points, it has adopted a completely different formula and with a history in between. Yes, a Pong with history. And years ago announced a movie for TetrisAre we crazy or what happens?

That of "history" is a fairly simple pretext, it must be said, since we "incarnate" a shovel that will follow King Pong's orders to restore the harmony of his kingdom. And for this we will go through different thematic dungeons, each with different phases that will be generated randomly.

It is one of the few elements of roguelike that this role-playing game will have, together with the permanent advantages that we can select when leveling up, since all our progress will be preserved by dying. This does not mean, in any case, that he cannot be demanding in certain sections, since he knows how to put us against the ropes against their bosses, where PONG Quest brings out their potential.

But how exactly is it played? Well, like the Pong of a lifetime … for fighting, but like the typical game of dungeons when it comes to moving around their rooms, being able to converse with some "civilians" and avoiding or looking for a fight with the enemies that we can see. The grace is that in battles we can use different types of balls, each with its own power to modify the behavior of the ball. They will go from the most basic, like accelerating their movement or enhancing their strength, to healing us, create a breakout wall or place mushrooms on the sand. A total of 58 balls, which is a real madness.

PONG Quest It has limitations, obviously: at the beginning we can only carry a maximum of two, but our character will improve his bag, like his life, or he may unlock other benefitssuch as seeing enemies on the map or knowing where the exit of any dungeon is.

… until you see how you miss a great idea

Returning to the subject of fighting, there is a peculiarity, since for each hit that each shovel receives, its life will be reduced by one point. So on until you get into critical state, after having spent all of them. It will be there when the shovel in question will not take more damage, but it can die instantly if it does not stop the ball to return it to the rival, which leads to a lot of tension against the bosses.

A shovel can be killed without being in critical condition, since a normal hit (if not dealt with) consumes five life points. So if it's just how much that shovel had, will die instantly. But this will be complicated, logically, the deeper we go into the dungeons, not only for the life of certain enemies, but also for the types of balls available.

The problem with PONG Quest is that it doesn't know how to dose, getting tired very soon after verifying that all the dungeons are practically the same or the high number of combats that we can play, with some that can be extended quite a bit due to certain abilities. And that we can complete almost all dungeons without fighting, if we manage to avoid direct contact with enemies. In fact, sometimes we will come across an optional mission where we will be asked just that, to reach the exit without fighting.

It also does not help a story with which we will not connect at any time and a graphic section excessively minimalist, as much as there are nods to a past stage of video games or that this so strange cocktail is flavored with sense of humor. Because yes, we can even customize the appearance of our shovel with hats, suits and more. And there will be more than 200 accessories, be careful.

The pity is to check that a good idea, or at least a rather surreal one about one of the pioneering games in this industry, has been left half done by (perhaps) not having overly believed the potential behind it. immerse the style of Pong inside an RPG without any shame. Because to play against colleagues or strangers (even with the original classic), with a total of four people, it is not that it makes a difference having Windjammers.

iGamesNews's opinion

In short, after the inexplicable surprise that it was to discover PONG Quest when it was announced a month ago, the truth is that the renewal of this historical game by Atari remains in a love and I can not take long to forget. But welcome are these colorful experiments.