Peggle 2 video review

We take a look at Electronic Arts/PopCap’s addictive puzzler casual game, Peggle 2 on Xbox One. Is this exclusive game for the Xbox One worth forking out for? Take a look at our Peggle 2 video review for the full picture.

Peggle 2 Review:

Development studio PopCap are renowned for their work on casual games, with the likes of Peggle, Bejewelled and Plants vs Zombies being addictive pass-times when you want to kick back for a more simplistic, yet still addictive gaming experience.

Sometimes such a casual game can offer up the necessary thrills – it’s here where those previously mentioned games shine brightest, and with Microsoft’s Xbox One console, the sequel to the highly addictive Peggle has released – and is currently exclusive to the next-gen platform.

If you’re unfamiliar with Peggle, the game basically pits you on a board where you can play as one of five characters, each with a unique special ability.

Bjorn has a Super-Glide ability, ideal for a board with pegs set in a circle or on such an angle. Jeffrey’s is a large Bowlder to plough through a large cluster of pegs. Berg’s is Deep Freeze, that brings forth the wind and knocks the targeted peg into other pegs – rather like a dominoes effect. The ghostly Luna’s ability is Night Shade, which vanishes all other obstacle pegs. My personal favourite is Gnorman’s Uber Vault, which blasts an electric current hitting a large number of pegs in close proximity.

The general premise is simple enough, you have to launch a small ball and eliminate all of the orange pegs, the catch being you have a limited amount of balls to launch to clear those pegs. If you can be patient – and not only judge where the ball will end up after hitting your targets, you might be able to score a free ball by landing it in the moving basket below.

The challenge is that there are other pegs acting as obstacles, or assists, such as the blue pegs which offer up little points and primarily are there just to be an annoyance. Launching and bouncing off these pegs to eliminate or hit your designated orange, or special pegs is what makes Peggle 2 so addictive.

There are a limited number of special pegs – purple pegs offer up big bonus points, where as hitting a green peg will activate your character’s special ability for the next ball in play.

The single-player Adventure mode features 10 primary boards and 10 bonus challenges for each of the five characters. Beating these unlocks new character costumes, boards and challenges.

First and foremost, Peggle 2 is just fun to play, it hooks you in and can have you playing for 5-minute short bursts, and then there’s sessions that can keep you hooked for much, much longer. Whether it be aiming for a high score, besting a bonus challenge, or even taking on online opponents.

The online portion consists of Peg Party – a mode which you and 3 other players battle the same board for the most points, and you can see how the other players are getting on in the PIP windows to the left. Furthermore, Peggle 2 has recently received a free update to its multiplayer feature-set; Duel mode from the original Peggle has recently made its way to Peggle 2 via. this update. Peggle 2 players can now face off in local and online Duel modes, taking turns on the same board to see who scores the most points.

There’s a certain, almost mesmerizing addictive obsession to Peggle 2, somewhat like a gambler being hooked on the slot machines – and it’s that euphoria of a win, and the incredibly cheesy music that never fails to bring a smug smirk to your face – that dancing, head-banging unicorn ensures of that, too.

Score 9/10 – Review by Wayne Julian

Review code supplied by Xbox.

Written by: Rob Cram

Rob Cram has hundreds of video game reviews, thousands of articles under his belt with years of experience in gaming and tech. He aims to remain fair and free from publisher/developer influence. With his extensive knowledge, feels his gaming opinions are valid and worth sharing. Agreement with his views are entirely optional. He might have a bias towards cyberpunk.