The game quickly captivated me with its simplicity and charming style. A Little Physics Roguelike is a combination of a few games in one, blending pachinko (a Japanese classic that is essentially a mix of pinball and slot machines), “coin-pusher” (popular machines from amusement parks or casinos with a pile of coins that a mechanical shovel constantly pushes back and forth), and roguelite elements. There are also “card” options, i.e., power-ups that allow you to change each run. Despite the game offering various styles, once the novelty of the idea wore off, it didn't hold my attention for long.
The goal is simple; you have 8 enemies, starting from the easiest and moving towards the hardest. Through random power-ups that you receive after each round (when you defeat an enemy, you move on), you also build your board, and you have total freedom of choice regarding which color, i.e., character you will select. The green, blue, or red character must pass through their color when you drop them from above, and in this way, you will either get a coin (which you use to buy new characters, weapons, and so on), or they will collect weapons, or both. You depend on physics and where you have placed the circles with colors. When a character collects a weapon, it goes to the right circle of the screen and hits bats, snails, spiders, and others.
With each passing enemy, you can shake up the rules of the game with double coins, stronger bouncing, and more. As I emphasized in the introduction, the style and idea of the game quickly won me over, but after a few hours spent with the board, I felt like I had experienced everything the game has to offer. On one hand, that’s not necessarily bad, but on the other hand, the game can serve to kill time when I need something reliable between barren titles.
If something like this sounds interesting to you, you have my recommendation. The game is available on Steam for a price of €2.99 (this price is valid until July 9, after which it will be €4.99).
