The history of the video game is extremely long, given that it grows together with technological evolution, as well as that which distinguishes the last 50 years of history. Looking at the very first digital projects, before a name was even given to them, we will find ourselves in front of interactive experiences that are hardly comparable to what is projected on our screens today. Among these milestones of the medium we find PONG, one of the very first video games invented and marketed, which thanks to the support of Atari proposed to the audience of Years' 70 a healthy and genuine experience, without pretensions or particular creative flashes of any kind, which is ready to return in 2020 thanks to the unexpected PONG Quest.
The title was certainly revolutionary for the time, but hardly reproposable in a modern perspective if you think about it, if not through some cabinet that points everything on the nostalgia of old-time gamers. The developer's goal Checkered Ink, therefore, it was to modernize one of the oldest games ever and re-propose it in 2020 at a decidedly budget price, in the period that with positive and negative meanings sees references to the panorama of releases with the nickname "Generation of Remake". So let's see what this software house managed to do with its PONG Quest.
The game was technically flawless, and is able to run smoothly on almost any system
The courageous rejuvenation of PONG Quest
The iconic Atari title certainly cannot be marketed in 2020 with a simple remastered, it would certainly be foolish to offer such a black and white experience in 4K, and that is why PONG Quest has decided to give us much more, taking in hand a simple arcade gameplay and creating a functioning and interesting ecosystem around it. The real goal is to give variety to the most monotonous play system that has ever existed, but how to do it?
To succeed in its intent, the software house wanted to rely on today's canons, bringing the concept of PONG in almost all possible ways. Multiplayer locally, online and with friends, with classic encounters and battles for up to four players, various modes that are not yet available to be tested by hand. In fact, we propose a conditional vote, given that once their quality has been ascertained this can be changed. On the other hand, what is already 100% usable is a 'innovative campaign mode anything but obvious, full of creative flashes everywhere but definitely not very long-lived. The courage of the software house has resulted in a title dungeon crawler, accompanied by a slightly hinted and entertaining narrative sector, as well as in a tide of content that is undoubtedly satisfying.
Even before interfacing with the game, we can customize our racket with costumes and clothes, but the best will come once the campaign has begun. We are in a castle inhabited exclusively by snowshoes, which contains a curse that we will be asked to eradicate through clashes with the gameplay of PONG. So many planes to explore, which are procedurally generated in a painstaking way, and take the trouble to be the backdrop to a gameplay that is as new as it is respectful of its origins.
While rejuvenating it, the developer managed to present the same gameplay as the original PONG
While maintaining the original concept, the developer has in fact added many amazing ideas to the simple clashes, which occur in any case on the imaginary 2D table, but they are always different. The game maps are in fact populated by other rackets, as well as by treasures and collectibles more or less useful for gameplay purposes. The goal is always to reach the last room unharmed, balancing the fights to be faced and those to be avoided in the best possible way, and then interface with the fearsome and inspired bosses at the end of the level.
Racket versus racket
Each of the characters has some aesthetic peculiarities, and proposes a fight that is ultimately different, even if attributable to the concept of the original gameplay. The recipe is always the same: two rackets and a faster and faster ball, but which is nevertheless seasoned from beyond 50 specials its peers and the presence of life points. In fact, playing and defeating enemies allows you to level up and unlock bonuses randomly at each level up, which will make the clashes sometimes easier. This side has been somewhat neglected, as it fails to provide the right starting point to grind clashes after clashes, without guaranteeing the right sense of progression as the hours of play increase.
It is not simply a question of scoring a point, as was the classic tradition of the first PONG, given that PONG Quest brings the presence of statistics to the field. To defeat the opponents it is necessary to reduce their life points to the bone, which simply drop when they touch the ball, and then reduce them to dust and win the match avoiding that they defend themselves. The 50+ brand new balls add one however not indifferent variety, which makes the arcade formula extremely enjoyable even in 2020.
These are effects at least bizarre and unpredictable - from stealing life points from opponents to creating barriers - which are consumed after use and can all be used in every match, even if it is possible to take a limited amount with you. Each clash rewards with additional bonuses and cosmetics, and the crates present in the levels contain a perhaps exaggerated amount of them, which however guarantees always fun clashes and never to be faced with the simple classic ball.
The work done by Checkered Ink in both areas manages to convey the same feeling of the PONG of the 70s, but allows you to have fun and experience each new pixel on the screen as a surprise. In full dungeon crawler style, in fact, the developer has also taken care to add rooms dedicated to riddles and mini-games in each dungeon, always PONG themed, with some inspired by great classics of the past such as Snake and Arkanoid, extremely useful for amusing formula that obviously can't entertain for endless hours, given its concept remained basically unchanged. It must certainly be considered that the variables are not many, and the appearance of the same is far from frequent.
A new graphic design
Leaving aside the many pearls of innovation, PONG Quest can also boast a fascinating and nice graphic sector, extremely colorful. All the dungeons and levels are different from each other, and make up a picture pleasing to the eye, even if stylized in a caricature style. Technically, the game is quite brilliant, running smoothly on virtually any PC setup, although support for 1440p (2560 × 1440) is still missing and you need to opt for Full HD or 4K. The commands are quite fluid, and it is possible to play with just the keyboard or with a controller, as well as use both peripherals for local clashes.
