Pong Balls Have Secret Lives Too: A qomp2 Review

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Atari VCS, PC

What do you get when you take one of the world's oldest video games and try to update it? You get qomp2 of course! qomp2 is the sequel to the 2021 game that is the spiritual successor to the classic 1972 game, Pong. It's developed by Graphite Lab, published by Atari, and it's coming out on all major consoles and PC very soon. While Pong was a two-player sports (?) title, qomp2 is more of a puzzle game that features a Pong ball as the main character. Since this is probably going to take a bit to explain, let's dive right into it!

NGL, I wish the OG Pong was included.

Simple controls can make a great game.

qomp2 opens in the middle a standard Pong match. It'll probably take a few back and forth shots before you realize that you're not actually controlling the paddles themselves, but you're actually controlling the ball. Pong is a rather boring game, so you make your leave as soon as possible. Wouldn't you know it, there's an entire world behind the Pong screen! After the tutorial your goal is to loop your way to the world's center, a task easier said than done. qomp2 is an action puzzle game that challenges you to complete 30 stages full of obstacles while controlling a single, albeit constantly respawning, ball. These stages are separated into five areas, and you also have to face four boss encounters before your journey is done. There's no story beyond what I already described, but there are hints of one here and there, most especially at the beginning and end of the game. The ending actually had me wondering if there was more to the game that I may have missed, but I don't want to drop into spoilers. What I do want to do is talk about gameplay, so let's move on.

Lots of obstacles for a poor Pong ball.

Squeezing between spikes takes time.

If you're a fan of simple control schemes, then qomp2 is right up your alley. There are just two buttons in this game, the A button which moves your ball diagonally up or down in the direction you're already going, and the back trigger button which charges your ball up for a dash that can be used to move quickly forward, or to attack/destroy stage hazards. That's all there is to it. If you're wondering how you move your ball around the levels, that answer is simple: you don't. Your ball bounces continuously once you start a level, and you can only adjust its trajectory with the A button. Since that button switches the direction you're going in (for the most part at least), it can be used to make the ball go in as tight a straight line as a bouncing ball can. On paper this sounds like you're barely controlling the game, but it's very intuitive once you get used to it. The one problem with this scheme is that there is no way to turn your ball around. You'll more than likely miss a narrow entrance or two, and this will most likely cause you to bounce backwards all the way into a previously cleared room. This flaw is by no means game-breaking, but it did lead to several moments where I spent more time on a level than I would have otherwise. While there were some quirks like this that I was not really a fan of, their simplicity does make it so that just about anyone can pick up this game and play it without much explanation.

Your goal in any level is to make it to the exit, perhaps grabbing the bonus item along the way, but that's no easy feat with what the game throws at you. You have all sort of stage hazards blocking your way, and while qomp2 only has 30 stages, it packs them full of just as many hazards and barricades. Your ball is quite defenseless, and a single stroke of bad luck will see it destroyed. "Bad luck" comes in the form of spikes, saw blades, electric beams, and more. It's rare that a wall will not be deadly, and you'll definitely welcome areas where you're able to bounce around freely. There are also enemies of a more straightforward variety, like fireball-shooting guns, and dog-like creatures that have to be appeased with a piece of meat to leave you alone. You can't really attack for the most part, but that dash can help out in certain scenarios. Other obstacles are less deadly, but block your progress just as well. These non-deadly (or less deadly in some cases) obstacles include locked doors that need a key to open, locked doors that need a series of switches to bypass, blocks that have to be destroyed or moved, or even pong paddles that only offer a single use before they are destroyed forever. The latter usually block spikes, so it's a rare moment where pong paddles are your friend. That's just a small sampling of some of the things you'll find in the game's stages, and qomp2 will toss in all these and more within each and every stage.

You'll be doing a lot of switch hitting too.

This boss is literally just Warlords.

While your Pong ball is quite fragile, you thankfully have infinite lives and instantly respawn at the most recently hit checkpoint. You'll be doing a lot of dying in this game, but there are some features in-game that exist to help you, if you're willing to use them. First up is an indicator as to where your ball's trajectory will take it. Not the most useful thing, but it can help by letting you know when you might have to nudge the ball ever so slightly with the A button. More important is invincibility, which does exactly what you think it does. These features make qomp2 very accessible to gamers of all skill levels, and can be turned on or off at any point within the pause menu options. While turning on invincibility pretty much kills any fun or challenge you have within the game, it can be used for just a single room or two. This means that you can bypass any part of the game that is probably getting to be too much for you. About to quit because you've been stuck in the same room for fifteen minutes? Just turn on invincibility to clear that section and turn it off in the next room. You can even come back and complete the level later without invincibility if you so desire. Using these features (or cheats I guess) doesn't even block getting the achievements, so there's literally no reason beyond pride in not using them.

My favorite part of qomp2 has to be the references to other classic Atari games within its gameplay. There's of course the opening Pong match, but there's a lot more to it than that. The first boss battle resembles the game Yar's Revenge, the second one is literally a game of Warlords, and you even grab keys like you do in the game Adventure. I started to wonder what other references there were that I didn't know. Were the enemies that chase you from another classic game? What was that third boss trying to resemble? It felt like the developers had a real love for the world they were creating, and more than casual knowledge of the Atari classics they were referencing. qomp2 is a short game, but it's packed full of neat little bits like this.

Guess what this is referencing.

You can also smash blocks.

qomp2 goes for a sort of minimalist style when it comes to visuals, and I'm all in for it. The world is mostly pretty much completely monochrome, and everything seems to be curved in a way that is reminiscent of an old-school CRT monitor. Since the world is filled with greys, blacks, and whites, the occasional splashes of color tend to stand out when they eventually show up. Your ball, for example, turns blue when you charge up the dash ability, and the boss encounters often toss the monochrome color scheme out the window. Color aside, the enemies and other level elements all look unique and fit in with the game's retro aesthetics, while still feeling fairly modern. The color scheme can also be changed a bit within the options menu, though I feel the standard palette suits the qomp2 the best. It's really the game's little touches that make it great. The way the camera zooms in and out, the way the screen shakes when you're moving between rooms, and even the subtle changes you make to the levels themselves by destroying objects and flipping switches add to the game's overall charm. It really is impressive, though I guess I should say that new players should set their expectations accordingly. I'd assume that those jumping into an updated Pong are not expecting hardware-pushing graphics, but you never know.

Sound is probably where qomp2 shines the brightest, as it features an amazing synthwave soundtrack that changes with each area. While I lack the music words to describe its particular genre, qomp2's soundtrack has a very "lo-fi hip hop beats to study by" vibe to it. The music is very subdued and atmospheric, and is a nice contrast to the tough-as-nails gameplay. There are times when the game feels almost silent, but it's in a way that has you realize that you're actually tuning out the music during a tough section. I think that's the kind of soundtrack this game really needs, one where it's there when you want it, but not too in-your-face where it starts to haunt you when you inevitably fail a particular section over and over again. The music feels like a throwback to a simpler time. Most original Atari games didn't even have music, Pong certainly didn't, so having the music simply exist as a sort of vibe, rather than being overly elaborate, is something that just fits. Even the sound effects rock here, and I wonder if some of them are actually sampled as they have that old school noise-y tinge to them that scratches that retro itch. The entire sound design really is just great all around.

Oh look, an evil Pong paddle!

I hate these blue cannon things.

Judging qomp2's length is a bit tricky as it will vary greatly across the board from player to player. First off, it's a relatively short game all things considered at just about thirty levels. There are some extras to gather though, like collectables for each stage, hidden exits/levels, and achievements for fulfilling specific challenges. If you've mastered the gameplay, or just have invincibility turned on, you can finish the game in about 2-4 hours. Realistically though you're going to be spending tens of minutes on some levels, and chances are at least one of the boss encounters will have you on the verge of quitting. Taking all this into account into account will probably see the average completion time move closer to 7-10 hours. It really all depends on skill level, and I'll admit that it took me over five hours to complete the game, and that's without getting all the extras. You can play for dozens of hours and never get certain items, or you could succumb to the difficulty and give up. No matter what you end up doing though, it's a shame that there aren't very many reasons to go back to the game once you complete it. I longed for a two-player mode of some sort, and maybe even the inclusion of Pong itself, but you get nothing beyond the game's core levels. The experience qomp2 offers is quite stellar indeed, but it unfortunately wears out its welcome fairly quickly.

There is so much going on here.

Two guard doggos over there...

Despite my few gripes with the game, I definitely give qomp2 the biggest of recommendations. I was amazed by this take on Pong, and honestly went in expecting just multiple versions of table tennis or something. This was the biggest surprise of all the recently released updated Atari franchises, and while I do think the current price of $19.99 is a bit high, you do get a great game for that price tag. Pick it up on whatever console you can, and get ready for the challenge of a lifetime! Now we all have to wait and see what other classic games Atari will revisit next!

Check Out qomp2 on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/qomp2-switch/

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Story: B+ (Though not really necessary.)
Gameplay: A
Graphics: B+
Music/Sound: B
Value: B

Overall: B+

Pros:
+ A fun, challenging experience that both captures the essence of Pong, and also delivers something completely original.
+ While the levels are few in number, they are all unique and offer their own set of challenges.
+ The soundtrack and sound effects are both top notch.
+ The boss encounters are some of the best parts of the game, and you can find lots of classic Atari references in them.
+ There's an invincibility mode you can toggle on and off at any time that helps players get past any section that may be hindering their progress.

+/- Why didn't this release include a playable version of Pong?

Cons:
- The challenge can be a bit much at times, and may frustrate players unwilling to turn on invincibility.
- At just thirty levels, qomp2 is a rather short experience that gives you little reason to return to it once completed.
- Adding something as simple as being able to turn the ball around would've easily shaved tens of minutes off my completion time.
- Is a bit pricey considering the amount of content you get.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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This guy really won't let me leave!