Ping-pong Jump is a simple but intense game. I believe it is a harder version of the designer’s last p5.play game project. Compared with the older version of Ping-pong, Ping-pong Jump has more uncertainties. Not only the player has to balance the ball on the bat, but there are also boundaries now on each level as the game screen goes up. It adds a new uncertainty because the player does not know where the gap of the boundary is going to be next, and it is essential to pass the bat and the ball through that gap to continue the game. I was kind of struggling with my physical skill because the ball speeds up really fast while hitting the bat, left and right edges, and the boundaries. It gets harder to avoid the ball falling when it accelerates. There’s no clear strategy per se, but it is best to keep the bat as close as you can to the ball in my opinion. Therefore, the player’s reaction time could be reduced and makes it a little easier to adapt to the situation. However, once I accidentally strapped my ball below the boundary, it makes it harder to catch the ball. The tension of the gameplay increases. As the player goes through numerous levels, there’s no hint if the player will ever reach an end to the game other than failing the game. I got frustrated because I began to lose my attention and patients to catch the ball. I ended up having 193 as my best score. Randomness sources such as the speed of the ball, the location of the gap, and the never-ending board add more tension to the game experience. The designer used this tension to make the gameplay more unpredictable, and this uncertainty makes this simple game more complex.
There is a bug I experienced during my gameplay. Sometimes if the velocity of the ball is fast enough, it will go through the boundaries. I was surprised by seeing this bug, and I even took advantage of it in some of my gameplay. Interestingly, the bug makes it easier to play because the player doesn’t have to pay attention to the ball the whole time (by taking a few seconds to break while the ball bounces off the boundaries). A suggestion I would make is the designer could include other objects or checkpoints in the future. Objects that could represent extra points to collect or deduction points to avoid; checkpoints to make the game less stressful or a scene change into a harder level. However, I do agree with the fact that sometimes the simplicity of a game is making it more difficult but more fun to play with. The mechanics of bouncing the ball with the bat is easy to understand yet challenging to keep doing it in the game and in real life. Overall, I think this is a great advancement of the designer’s last game. I enjoyed how she take ideas from her last game and makes it into an even harder game.