Peglin is an interesting game to say the least. Blending pachinko gameplay with a roguelike RPG allows it to pull off some truly unique concepts, and from the moment I saw the trailer I knew it was going to be something special. I just didn't realize how special it truly was.
So when the developers over at Red Nexus Games were nice enough to send me a review copy for the Nintendo Switch, I was pretty excited to say the least. It's a game that for sure caught my eye, but it's also one I didn't now when I'd get a chance to check it out. Well, Red Nexus Games answered that question for me, and that "when" became a "right now!"
With that being said, I spent the next couple of weeks playing the game off and on and diving into what Peglin is. What I quickly discovered was that there is more to the game than meets the eye, and that it would be quite the time sink (but in a good way)! It's not a game you simply play through, but rather a game you continue coming back to as the years go on. It fully embraces the roguelike side of things, and constantly challenges the player to try something new.
But what does that mean? What is Peglin? The answer isn't that simple.
The Story:
The story of Peglin is a story of me dying over and over again, and failing for hours... That about sums it up!
On a more serious note, there isn't really a standard "story" in this one. You get to play as a little creature called a "Peglin" as they set out on an adventure through a forest, and take on a wide verity of high-fantasy style enemies and bosses. From slimes, to knights, to dragons, the game throws a wide verity of enemies at Peglin as they attempt to reach the final stage.
Event scenes between areas hint at more lore, but the game is never in your face about what is going on. And that's okay! Peglin isn't a story based game in the slightest, and instead focuses on the gameplay instead... Which is anything but simple.
The Basics:
When you first start up Peglin, you're given the choice of which character class you want to play as. In the beginning only the default Peglin is unlocked, but the others will come along from simply playing the game. While they each have their own unlock conditions to obtain them, most of them will happen naturally as you work on perfecting your runs. Once you select your character the game will start, and you will be faced with your first challenge.
During the actual gameplay, your Peglin will appear on top of the screen, with enemies that slowly make their way towards it. On the left you have your default orbs, and slightly to the right is the game board itself. Each orb will have a different effect or use, but the basics are pretty simple; shoot your orbs and the pegs and other objects on the game board, and the more things you hit, the more damage you will deal to the enemies. Your final "score" from each shot will be converted into damage and other effects, and attacks will then be launched at whatever you are targeting.
In the beginning you will only have rocks to throw and a knife, but upon clearing stages you are given the option to spend money to either pick up more orbs, or upgrade your existing ones. The rocks are your most basic of basic damage dealers, while the knife will deal more damage if you hit critical hit pegs instead. As for the pegs on the board, each has a different effect, and can be used to your advantage. Standard ones will deal standard damage, critical ones will turn ALL pegs into critical hit ones, slime ones will cause your orb to bounce off of them, and bombs, once destroyed, allows your Peglin to throw a bomb at all enemies on the stage.
It's a pretty simple system overall, and after taking your turn to use an orb, enemies advance on you and attack as well. The goal is to of course kill the enemies before they get you instead, and sometimes that is easier said than done.
By default the only way to heal in Peglin is to spend credits on the potion option after each stage, which takes away from buying more orbs or upgrading orbs, but if you are lucky you'll be given other options later on.
As a roguelike, what orbs you get will be completely random, and how you finish a stage will determine where you go next. Upon killing all the enemies you can then shoot your Peglin across the board into one of the "exits" of the stage, with each one resulting in a branching path. Some paths lead to treasure, others lead to special event scenes, and then there are the ones that will lead you to more enemies or even bosses. The latter of course is a high risk high reward situation, as clearing bosses will net you some really nice rewards.
To go along with the orbs are the relics, which are pieces of equipment that provide passive boosts to your Peglin. These boots come in a wide variety of perks, and will greatly alter your playstyle depending on what you pick. One relic does 7 times the damage back to the enemies that hit you, for example, while another relic will make it so broken pegs refresh after so many turns. You also have relics that will provide status effects like adding extra health, or ones that make it so more bombs spawn on the field. Whatever the case is, the game typically allows you to pick which relic you would like to take with you, so it gives you some time to plan things out. When using orbs you are given the chance to "throw away" (skip) one if it doesn't make sense to use, but there are a limited number of skips, so that too can play into your overall strategy.
As for the boards themselves, early on they are simple and standard pachinko styled stages. However, as the game progresses, their layouts get more and more unique.
Some boards will have moving pieces, others will have traps that will cause damage to you if you hit them, and bosses have completely unique one all their own. One early example is the slime boss which has a "slime shaped" layout in the center, and things to hit around the sides. At first you will alternate throwing your orbs from the left or right side of the "slime center," but if the slime boss eats your Peglin you start throwing from inside.
It's just one of the examples of how the game uses the board layout to resemble the enemies you are fighting themselves, rather than just being random layouts like with normal enemies.
Currently, as of version 1.0, the game has three full "areas" to play through with multiple bosses, challenges, and event scenes to overcome. What bosses you encounter will be random each run, and also depend on the paths you decide to take as you make your way to the end. With an average full run possibly taking up to an hour to complete, there's plenty of reasons to keep coming back to try again.
It's all about Synergy:
The biggest mistake I made in Peglin was grabbing everything that looked cool to me. There are so many options in the game, with so many unique orbs and relics, that I had no idea where to begin. So if something popped up that allowed me to target anyone, I went for it. If a relic popped up that allowed me to mirror my thrown orb and throw two instead? I went for that as well! Ultimately I became a jack of all trades, a master of none, and an easy target for the actual bosses. After doing some outside research, and talking with the community, I readjusted my strategy and quickly realized just how wrong I was going about playing this.
Thankfully the game explains every orb and relic you pick up, and explains every term used within the game. By looking over what options I had available, it was possible to begin building decks and picking relics that worked well together. My first clear of the game came from me focusing on "slime" based relics and orbs; items that turned normal pegs into bouncy slime pegs, while also applying status ailments to my enemies. What this allowed me to do was, transform most of the pegs on a board into a bounce space, which not only weakened and debuffed my target, but also caused my orbs to fly around like crazy and rack up extra damage. It shredded enemies I originally struggled with, and attaching relics that increased my slime effects really helped as well.
On another run I focused on healing orbs and defensive relics, while I also obtained the "deal 7 times damage back" relic as well. So little enemies attacking me caused the death of their friends, and thanks to my healing orbs I remained at the higher end HP wise. I also was lucky enough to unlock a relic that healed me for each peg I hit when choosing my next destination, so I was able to heal without spending money between turns.
This is what Peglin is truly about, and why each run is completely different. Your strategy depends on what you are given to work with, not what you want to do. It's the classic saying: "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade." If Peglin throws you bomb based relics, go for orbs that help you break and use bombs faster. If you get more defensive options, then consider trying to capitalize on being a tank. It makes each run interesting, and requires you to actually learn what you can or cannot do in this game. You cannot brute force your way to the end, and simply having good aim with your orbs will not be enough.
As for bosses themselves, they too are unique and will require you to make full use of your arsenal, so don't expect to just win without even trying.
Is Peglin worth playing?
Peglin is a game that won't be for everybody. Players going in need to understand what type of game they are getting themselves into. Yes, it's an RPG and a roguelike, but no it is not an adventure. This game is more of a puzzle game with RPG and roguelike elements, and dozens upon dozens of ways for you to tackle it.
Although a single run might only take an hour, it's not something that will happen right away. There is a lot to learn in this game, and even after you figure things out, the randomness of it can still cause you to fail. Because of that, Peglin is not a game you "beat," but rather a game you perfect yourself in as you shoot for the final boss. For those who would like to "complete" Peglin however, you are facing possibly hundreds of hours worth of playthroughs as you go down every possible path.
It takes a lot to unlock every enemy, boss, orb, and relic, and it is something you would need to do with each class to truly hit that 100% mark. The game is also loaded with challenging achievements, and extras, so that too will add onto the playtime. Mix in the fact that there's also a "custom mode" that allows you to modify the experience based off of your unlocks, and there truly is an unlimited number of possibilities.
If puzzle games aren't your thing, or if you simply do not like the idea of playing anything pachinko related, then Peglin most likely won't change your mind. However, if you do enjoy puzzle games, and can get addicted to them quite easily, then Peglin is a game you can easily get sucked into. It has a lot to offer, and a lot of ways you can play through the game. It has a lot of luck, sure, but it's also about learning how to control that luck and complete your run. It's a unique concept, and once it clicks with you it is hard to pull yourself away. Eventually I got to the point where I'd sit down and watch TV while I played "one round," only to realize I was four hours in, and had gone through more TV show episodes than I had originally planned... Again, it's addictive.
So, would I say Peglin is worth playing? Yes. I've enjoyed my time with the game over these past weeks, and it's something I plan to keep coming back to from time to time. Having it on the Switch is especially nice for it's handheld mode, but it can be played on mobile or PC as well. Ultimately I think the game is a lot of fun, but only if you personally enjoy these types of games.
Again I'd like to thank the developers over at Red Nexus Games for providing me with a review copy, and to let them know that I'm looking forward to where this game goes from here. It'll be interesting.
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co
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