Puzzles need to be satisfying to complete and this is something Plungeroo understands. Every time you complete a level you are treated to a light and music show out of a pinball cabinet or a circus show. Its endearing and satisfying and this drip feed or joy and complexity is what makes Plungeroo a great puzzle game.
Sitting somewhere between a pinball and a golf or snooker puzzle game, Plungeroo asks you to “pot” the pinball into the goal. You do this by launching the pinball in each level’s cabinet and using the props inside it to guide the pinball to the goal. Most of the cabinets are quite small but you are provided with various objects you can rotate and place into the cabinet. This starts off with bumpers before buttons need to be pressed or portals are added to make the levels a bit trickier. It is a simple enough path logic game initially but soon a few key variables are added in.
These variables come from spinners and flick switches that change orientation when used. So the first time you roll over a flick switch it might send the ball left, next time right, then left after that. Spinners are similar. As the levels are very compact you will be using these objects often once introduced and so you have to visualise where things will need to rebound in loops. The second half of the game uses this a lot to add complexity into the mix, whilst still dropping new ideas too. The levels look so simple until you get into the mechanics of them and difficulty increases steadily in the last couple of worlds. There are over 70 levels and whilst they unlock one after the other there is an “unlock all levels” button you can use to skip one if you get totally stuck.
Whilst I love the fanfare when you finish a level and the progressive drop of game mechanics, I also want to shout out about the progressive hint system too. If you need a guiding hand – and I did from world 5 onwards at times – you can use the hint to give you a clue. This highlights where one or two of the objects might need to be placed. Sometimes knowing one or two is more than enough to help you unpick the rest but if you are still stuck, another hint is there until it basically gives you the level layout. Giving the player the option to choose how deep the hints take you is a great solution and I wished this was available in other games too.
Plungeroo stands out for its a carnival pinball vibes and mixture of pinball meets minigolf or toy snooker gameplay. I had a blast playing it and whilst I did need to resort to a few hints at times, being able to say “aha, I’ve got it now” and solve the rest myself made the game all the more satisfying to play. A real hidden gem.
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