You wanted a pool game on PSN? Well now you’ve got one. Pool games seem to be the one of the few genres that are obligatory on any downloadable service and many wondered if (or when) we’d see one on PSN. Manchester based developers, Dark Energy Digital, have paid heed to your call and have provided us with a pool game, one with a twist at that.

With Inferno Pool, Dark Energy have created something that appeals to everyone. There’s the regular 8 ball or 9 ball games for pool fans, but the real ‘meat’ of the game is in it’s more arcadey modes. It’s these that are bound to draw anyone, and I mean anyone, into playing this game. Not only is there a ton of variety, but all of them are fun to play. There’s been modes in many a game that feel more like chores to play than anything else, thankfully that’s something that’s absent here.

Single player is based purely around endurance mode. There is the option to play against the A.I. but there rarely seems a reason to unless you feel the need to play against an adversary. Endurance mode, a race against the clock to pot balls before the A.I. dumps 24 on your table, is the mode, I feel, that the majority of players will spend their time with. It’s something, I think,  that players will spend a fair bit of your time on, especially when trying to hone your skills for multiplayer, although it’s still a ton of fun when it’s just you vs. the clock.

Speaking of multiplayer, this is what Inferno Pool is all about. If you’re not going to be playing multiplayer in this game then i’m afraid you won’t be getting the whole experience. Multiplayer consists of the regular Inferno Pool mode with a number of different time presets ranging from 1-10 minutes. Playing this mode with friends is undoubtedly one of the best multiplayer experiences of the year, especially playing locally. Believe me the amount of trash talking is amazing and, at times, can get to the levels of Call Of Duty when you really get going. There’s also the ‘race’ mode which, as you might have guessed, basically pits players against one another to see who can pot the most balls the quickest. It might be the the weaker of the two modes, but it’s still a ton of fun to play. The game allows 1-4 players to play simultaneously and it still looks as good as when you’re playing on your own. Something I consider a massive achievement for a small, downloadable title.

The concept might be simple: 1 table, some balls, and a cue and it can be played that way. However, Dark Energy have allowed players to play as complex or simple as they want. Alongside the regular shot, the player can use different trick shots to spice up the gameplay and add to the ‘Inferno Meter’. There’s also a number of other factors and shot types that can add to this such as ‘Bank Shots’ and ‘Combo Shots’. Don’t think you can just fluke your way through this though. The game has built in “fluke detection” which can really even up the game if you pull off something spectacular you didn’t mean. However this doesn’t always work, something that the guys at Dark Energy can attest to, as i’ve definitely gotten away with some flukey stuff in this game.

On the whole gameplay is incredibly  fun. Like I said, it’s as easy or as complex as you want it to be and this reallydefinitely adds to how great this game is. Anyone can play it, something that is one of the key factors when making a game like this.

The key to Inferno Pool is it’s physics engine, it’s pretty much flawless. There was only a few hiccups I found  and they don’t happen that often. One of the other big things in snooker/pool games is the aim assist. The first think I thought was that it made the game too easy, but thats before I jumped into endurance mode. The aim assist helps, but no shot is really ever pre-determined. However, in multiplayer, I found regular matches can be really short because of the assist, which is a shame. There is the ability to turn it off if you wish, as well as the option for more advanced players to use a ‘handicap’, something which definitely evens up the playing field.

Aside from the ‘Inferno Pool’ mode, the regular 8 and 9 ball pool modes are equally as good. They obviously offer up something different to Inferno but it’s still definitely one of the best pool games i’ve played over the years. To get both the ‘straight up’ pool modes and the arcade stuff right as well as DE did definitely impresses me and is something that  gives you a multitude of options when it comes to multiplayer. Whatever your preference.

Graphically, the game really does impress. I, personally, didn’t expect much from  the game in this department and I was really happy that it looks as good as it does. All of the environments surrounding the tables are well crafted, although I felt that the lack of some kind of crowd a little disappointing. The tables, balls and even the cue look as they should and, although it might seem unimportant, it definitely adds to the experience. That little bit of polish has gone a long way. The one thing that I really found jarring was the way the main menu was set up. I know the guys want to emphasise the game’s  multiplayer aspect, but a menu screen split four ways started to mess with my eyes after a little while. Nothing major though. The fact that the game runs at 60fps consistently is a massive achievement and something that makes this game work so well. Having a game that looks as good as this and runs at 60 frames even with 4 player split screen is surely evidence that Dark Energy will be a studio to look out for as the download space continues to grow.

The only think that really bugged me about the game is the camera. The camera is often a big factor in games like this and it can get a little “jerky” at times. This has been easily remedied by DE. The addition of a second, top down, camera angle really helps with this problem, as well as allowing the player to pick out a better shot whilst stopping the camera freaking out.

Overall Inferno Pool is great. There’s very few PSN games that’re good for everyone and this is definitely one of them. If you’re into pool, or even if you’re not, I urge you to give this game a game a go because it’s more than just a pool game, it’s  great experience in both single player and multiplayer. It’s not perfect, (it undoubtedly has a few flaws) but the guys at Dark Energy have definitely made something that could be a contender for TPSN’s PSN game of the year. For £6.29 you really can’t go wrong.

9/10

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