Jump the Track

I wasn't sure how excited to be when I heard the pitch "Peggle but it's a visual novel," but I knew that I was gonna be interested, good or bad. I definitely wasn't expecting to finish my first playthrough in a single sitting, but that's not because the game is short. I mean, it is, but I was expecting that. I tend to inch my way through unfamiliar experiences in games, and this certainly qualifies in my book, but the gameplay and pacing got their hooks in me so fast that I ended up barreling through in about 2 hours. That said, the game is clearly designed to encourage revisits for new dialogue choices and story routes, since getting what I perceive to be one of the better endings still only got me 15 of the 25 achievements. I'll definitely be coming back for more runs in the future. My criticisms feel pretty minor, but I'd really like to see them addressed in an update somewhere down the line. The biggest one being the lack of an arcade mode. There are a lot of really cool board layouts that I'd love to tackle in a more traditional Peggle format, especially since I've never been super attached to Peggle's art style. So pretty much just a mode that copies the format wholesale, maybe as a reward for finishing a run, would be my deepest wish for the game. Additionally, the script feels like it could use another pass in some places. Some lines get what they want to say across, but in a slightly stilted way, and there are a few minor typos (honestly though, I've seen worse in more well-known VNs). Finally, I feel like there were a few moments in the story that could have benefited from punchier sound effects. Not a deal-breaker by any means, but I noticed that on more than one occasion I was thinking to myself "this scene feels a little too quiet." Even with these gripes though, the game is more than worth the time and money and I would recommend it to literally anyone. For the novelty and the narrative, this has skyrocketed into the position of being my favorite VN just ahead of Ghost Trick and Hundred Line, the only other VN I can think of to actually encourage replays through gameplay. While Hundred Line may be much bigger and have deeper mechanics, I can't really find the time or energy to commit to even a single full run of it right now. Not a problem here. I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on new games coming out of Seed by Seed from now on.

A super fun story that plays like a Tell Tale game mixed with Peggle gameplay. The game is simple and has multiple paths based on the decisions you make. My only complaint is the bucket feels a little.... wrong, but overall the game is really fun!

Great little visual novel with Peggle gameplay! Well-written, bangin' soundtrack, and I'll always bounce a ball around/through blocks. There's never a bad reason to join a revolution!