qomp2

Even though it’s more than fifty years old, there’s something about Pong that keeps calling out to game developers. In just the last few years, we’ve seen the classic game inspire everything from Hypergalactic Psychic Table Tennis 3000 to PONG Quest, as well as play an important role in the weird mash-up title Atari Mania. One of the coolest games inspired by Pong was the 2021 release of qomp, a minimalist adventure that sent the iconic ball through a tricky (yet inventive) obstacle course set just offscreen. Now comes the sequel, qomp2, a game that fleshes out all of the original title’s best elements, all while adding enough new levels and ideas to feel like a proper follow-up. Get ready to do a whole lot more than hit a ball back and forth, because this is my review of qomp2 from Atari.

Not a lot has changed to the qomp story since the first game. This is still the harrowing adventure of the ball from Pong, who discovers a whole world full of excitement when it destroys one of the paddles and exits stage left. Now on its own, the ball will need to survive and puzzle its way through thirty increasingly challenging stages, complete with several different boss fights and a whole bunch of collectibles that always seem to be located in out-of-the-way spots.

The first thing you need to realize is that you don’t actually have a lot of control over the ball. It is, after all, little more than a ball, so it bounces off of walls and objects just as you would expect. One thing you can do is changes its trajectory mid-flight. That is, if it’s bouncing up, you can press the button to point it down. Your only other move is a charge, which will turn the ball blue and send it flying forward with a good burst of speed. That’s it. Those are all of the moves in qomp2. You can play the entire game with a single hand.

While that may not sound like a lot of interactivity, this game makes the most of its simple two-button set-up. A lot of the puzzles are built around your charge attack, such as moving blocks or breaking them with the charge move. This is how you will trigger other blue objects, such as a whirlpool that will keep the ball in place until you’re ready to move. Another blue object will hold the ball and act as a way to crank open the doors and gates blocking the way.

Of course, this is just scratching the surface when it comes to the game’s many obstacles. You’ll occasionally run into sections where you have no control over the ball, so you’ll need to plan the trajectory ahead of time. There are also these dog blocks that will chase after the ball if it gets close to their cone of vision, something you can actually use to your advantage in order to get to hard-to-reach locations. While I was amused by the dog blocks, I found myself hating every time the game introduced water to the puzzle. This completely reshapes the gameplay in some fun (but frustrating) ways.

With only thirty stages to go through, the game doesn’t have the time to spin its wheels on any one of these gameplay wrinkles. It does that thing where it introduces an idea and then spends a couple of levels evolving it in different ways, only to then move on to something else. And just when you least expect it, suddenly the dog block or the water will show up in a later level, forcing you to use all of the knowledge you’ve learned on the adventure. Even though they are occasionally challenging to the point of frustration, the levels are masterfully-crafted and full of fun twists. There’s no filler here, the game has enough fresh ideas so that qomp2 never feels like its repeating itself.

You definitely see that when it comes to the boss battles, each of which is completely different and will force you to use different skills. One thing I really appreciated was that each of the battles was a multi-part affair. The first part of the fight will often be easy and little more than an introduction to the main course, while the second half will really put you to the test. One of my favorite bosses is actually a reworked variation on another Atari classic, Warlords. This is not the only reference to old school Atari, and there’s a really fun one in the surprisingly great ending that you definitely won’t see coming.

Visually, qomp2 is really sharp. The game uses a striking 8-bit monochromatic look that certainly feels like it could be just off-screen of a Pong game, while also still looking like it was created in the 2020s. It’s the combination of the fish-eye lens and the way the background scrolls, creating a really interesting effect that reminds me a lot of some of the better Virtual Boy games. I also love the way the game uses color, be it to highlight a puzzle or to represent the danger of the dog blocks. One thing is clear, it doesn’t look like anything else I’ve seen this year. Or even last year, for that matter.

As an adventure, I like the length and story beats that play out entirely through the visuals. This is an easy game to recommend, especially if you’re already sold on this type of action/puzzle game. That said, I still found myself wanting more. This is one of the few times where I beat a game and wished that it unlocked a bunch of bonus levels or challenge modes. Yes, it’s nice that it doesn’t overstay its welcome or spin its wheels, but I wanted more. You could practically hear me chanting “VR missions” while the credits rolled. I suppose there are worse things than being left wanting more of a good thing.

Although it won’t be for everybody, I really liked the minimalist look and simple yet effective gameplay. Much like the first game, this is a slight adventure that won’t take you very long to beat, but the boss fights are a lot of fun and the expertly-crafted level designs make the most out of the two-button gameplay. Best of all, it has a genuinely satisfying ending that will leave you excited for more. It definitely won’t have the same level of impact as Pong, but qomp2 is a whole lot of fun. And when everything is said and done, that’s what really matters.