Peggle was an internet phenomenon when it was released in 2007 for both
the PC and Mac platforms. Created by PopCap Games, the game helped
propel PopCap Games into the mainstream, earning both critical acclaim
and blockbuster sales status. It reached such epic popularity among
core gamers that it was available both on Steam as well as a World of
Warcraft add-on players could download to get their Peggle fixes in
during raid down-times.
The basic premise is simple: Peggle is
akin to Plinko on the Price is Right where minuscule pinballs cascade
down intricate patterns of pegs, lighting them as they go.
To
win, the player must light orange pegs that are sprinkled through-out
the game board. Once all the orange pegs are successfully lit (and
subsequently removed) the player has won. Of course, difficulty is
introduced when the board (and adjacent orange pegs) are surrounded by
a multitude of blue pegs whose only value is to help boost the player's
score and create additional points for the ball to chaotically project
from.
Along the way players find new colored pegs (green and
purple to name a few) which cause power ups such as multi-ball and the
ability to predict where the ball will bounce off its initial
trajectory. While you can easily aim for most of these "special" pegs,
the joy of Peggle is when chains of pegs are lit unintentionally. Read:
the true satisfaction of Peggle is the unintended results of ones
actions - a ball that is seemingly endless in its proverbial pings of
pegs.
While Peggle's controls are simple (aim a beam that
represents where your ball will be shot) it belies the games true
genius: trying to create the perfect ricochet cycle. The symphony of
lighting pegs both intended and not induces predicted and unpredictable
results which may or may not benefit the player. Despite this chaos,
the player still attains a sense of skill as mistakes (and success) are
repeatable in the same manner, much as physics is wont to repeat itself
in a controlled environment. This simple fact enables strategy in a
game otherwise dominated by luck.
The iPhone version of the game
is a peerless rendition on mobile fronts. The controls feel perfect for
a touch screen and precision can be had by both simple touch screen
rubs or by using a wisely included slide which enables more pin-point
precision. After the shot trajectory is established the humble "Fire"
button sends the ball on its merry way.
Graphically
the iPhone version is near picture-perfect to its computer
counterparts, a port only in the sense that the underlying code is
optimized for the iPhone platform. There are no compromises to be found
here from the original, no content seemingly missing. Everything about
the original Peggle is in true form and PopCap Games should be
commended for its efforts.
It's rare that a game feels so well
paired with a system when it is ported from a completely different
input methodology. Here we have a humble touch screen replacing a much
more sophisticated mouse and keyboard combo. Even so, Peggle does not
just work on the iPhone: it swells and sings to such heights that
anyone experiencing Peggle for the first time on the iPhone won't have
the slightest inkling this wasn't a game built from the ground up for
it.
PopCap Games I salute you.
