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Magic Shot might be the Desert Golfing of billiards, with optional hyperactivity

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Magic Shot might be the Desert Golfing of billiards, with optional hyperactivity
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iOS
| Magic Shot

Billiards isn't something I'd typically get excited about. But then, Magic Shot isn't exactly kosher.

In it, you have to hit a white cue ball so that it knocks into the red and yellow balls. With that constant goal in place, the rest of the game warps as if travelling through dimensions.

After each successful trick shot, the table transforms its shape so that its angles and, sometimes, curves make any wall bounce less reliable.

This is all that happens in Mediation mode: the borders of the tables change and each are given a city's name as if a narrative journey. It's similar to Desert Golfing for its monotonous simplicity.

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But there are two other game modes to tackle. Purity is a more challenging high score chase that gives you a limited number of shots to play with.

Lastly, Insanity sees the table morphing erratically so that you can't keep up with its form. It's so absurd that you can only laugh.

Using only simple components, London-based studio Nerial manages to find a lot of fun within the parameters of a sportsy trick challenge.

It's not too surprising considering that one of its members worked on the brilliant if bizarre rhythm game Planet Quest. Also of note is that Fez programmer Renaud Bedard will be producing music for the game.

Magic Shot

If that's not enough to get you interested in Magic Shot then feel free to wait it out when it comes to iOS next month. But you'll be the one missing out.

Check out the game's website for more information. Or, if you're going to Rezzed, check it out when you're there.

Chris Priestman
Chris Priestman
Anything eccentric, macabre, or just plain weird, is what Chris is all about. He turns the spotlight on the games that fly under the radar.