Released last week on the PSN, Inferno Pool gave us a chance to get away from the shooters and the lack of summer games to play a nice game of Pool. Well it’s Pool… but on fire, can water, balls and fire truly mix find out in this review.

 

You see what I did there?

 

Although admittedly when I first saw this game I laughed, I thought who would want to play that? Well now that I’ve had a go, I do.  There are a lot of features built into the game, first there is obviously a single player and an Online Multiplayer, and shock horror a Local Multiplayer (both multiplayer modes can play up to 4 people.) It’s a shame this gen when a relatively small developer, and game, can have Local Multiplayer. So kodu’s to Dark Energy Digital.

 

Each within these modes are three more options, Inferno Pool, 9 Ball and 8 Ball, each play obviously like a game of Pool except with a few twists to the rules.

Well accept 8 Ball, which plays exactly like a normal game of Pool, 9 Ball requires you to pot the balls in numeral order, although if you hit the correct numbered ball and pot another it still counts and finally Inferno Pool the craziest game of Pool you’ll ever play.

 

 

But before we get into that, there are more options to choose. As a single player you can choose to play against a number of bots, up to 3, and depending what mode you already chosen depends what you can do alone.

 

Both 8 Ball & 9 Ball, allow you to just play a quick game for practise. Where as with Inferno Pool you’ll play ‘Endurance’ where you must pot a ball within a set time limit, as the ball count lows so does the timer’s length.

 

Along with the bots there are a few other options, like what colour you want the table, what level you want to play at and how difficult you want the AI, from 1 to 5. The colour makes no difference what so ever accept maybe see the ball colours better, you see with the player’s level set at Novice you can see the ball’s trail telling you in which direction it’ll go, hard difficulties don’t allow you to see this trail.

 

I’d like to add that the AI between levels is a considerable jump, 1 is far too easy, 2 is a bit easy but can beat you mostly, 3 which should be a normal mode is more hard, and 4 & 5 are insanely difficult to pot the same amount of balls as the AI.

 

Right so now you get the general idea of the game right? Wrong.

Sure the other two game options play like any other game of Pool but Inferno Pool… think of it as the Twisted Metal of the Pool world.

 

You see every ball you pot rockets it’s way onto your opponents table, and vice versa, and the object is often to get the lowest number of balls on your table before time runs out while building up a combo and your Inferno meter.

 

 

Which you’ll clearly know you’ve got with the Mortal Kombat like announcer yelling “Inferno!” he also announces a few other things such as “Combo” and “Bank Shot” amongst others, honestly the voice sounds exactly like the MK guy, a few times I was expecting him to yell “FINISH HIM” or at least “Multi Kill.”

 

But it doesn’t finish there, because there is a launcher to the side of the screen, if you press L3 it’ll extend it, so pot a few balls, and then press L3 again and watch them fly destroying whatever lead you opponent may have had.

 

Overall Inferno Pool isn’t the best game available on the PSN, especially with the likes of Siren, Warhawk and Ratchet & Clank, if this was that sort of game then it’ll probably get a 4.

But it’s not, it’s a Casual game, clearly meant to be played to kill a bit of time and with its modes and options, this is a really enjoyable game and we think it deserves;