Peglin's 2.0 Update Makes it Even Harder to Put Down

Peglin's 2.0 Update Makes it Even Harder to Put Down

Hallelujah! It's raining balls in this highly addictive Pachinko-roguelike adventure.

Do you recall Peggle? PopCap's pachinko-like experience was one of web-based gaming's highlights during that format’s salad days in the aughts. You know: The days when a few bucks bought you a game that let you chase a high score for as long as you liked, as often as you liked, without an ad or a subscription in sight. Peggle's mascot, a purple-horned unicorn, turned out to be remarkably well-chosen in hindsight.

You can still play Peggle and its sequels in other formats, but fees and ads bog things down more than anyone would like. And maybe that's a sign that it's time for you to leave behind the safety of the unicorn glen—time for you to go on an adventure, ramble down hazardous paths at destiny's will, and shoot your orbs in the name of justice. It's time for you to play Peglin by Red Nexus Games. You'll never frolic with magic horses ever again, especially now that the 2.0 update makes welcome balances and adds some awesome challenges.

Peglin, released in August 2024, describes itself as a combination of pachinko, puzzles, and roguelikes. It's a decent description: If you've played Slay the Spire, you already have a good idea of how Peglin's map traversal and battles work. There are four areas (as of March’s 2.0 update) and each has its own map. The maps tumble downward from a single point and separate at widening junctions, much like pachinko boards. Map icons indicate which challenge your titular Peglin gremlin pal will face when they enter the level. A skull indicates a battle with low-grade mooks, while a skull-and-crossbones indicates that a tougher boss fight lies within. Gold coins mark shops where players can buy more weaponized pachinko balls as well as artifacts that grant lifesaving buffs. Landing on a Question Mark tile might land you a boon like free loot, or cost you dearly in gold and life points.

With the right balance of artifacts, a good pachinko ball loadout, and a bit of favor from whichever luck god happens to be watching over your shoulder, you should be able to get to the bottom of the Mines and defeat the ultimate evil that's waiting there for you.

Then you do it again. And again. And again, because that's the point. You fail way, way more of Peglin's runs than you finish, even when you think you have the perfect ball-and-artifact combo for your little dude. For instance, one of the job classes the Peglin can pick at the start of each run is the Balladin. (A mix of "ball" and "paladin," he's a whole Peglin under a human-sized helmet that goes down to his ankles – adorable.) Every time the Balladin beats a level, he has the option to buy extra balls or occasionally choose an artifact. Most of these offerings are based around building up the Balladin's endurance by hitting pegs that add to his defense, bit by bit. Or by a lot if you know how to use your balls correctly. But even a couple of misfires can blow a great run. Luck gods are fickle patrons, after all.

Peglin is a lightweight game that's capable of running on anything down to a potato, if necessary. It's on Steam, iOS, Google Play, and Switch. Each playthrough moves at a breezy pace, even if you don't get immediately bodied by a couple of bats and a slime. (Hey, sometimes a run can have a bad start. But turning your luck around is ever so fun.) Strange as it might seem, starting over in Peglin is more alluring than frustrating. You become determined to know what went wrong, which crucial element of your ball loadout failed you, or if your patron deity simply chose to abandon you in that moment. Either way, you just climb back into the top of the heap and start your gradual slide into hell one more time.

And just as you notice your play counter is creeping into the triple digits, you go for broke and open up Peglin's new fourth area. Turns out there are things seething in the shadows far below even the Mines. Things. And they don't fight fair.

Even if you stay far away from the horrors of Peglin's deepest underground, there's an undeniable thrill to each run despite your subsequent success or failure to complete it. Peglin is all about little guys, big adventure, cool balls, and getting groin-kicked repeatedly by Lady Luck: A winning combo.