Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe
- December 6, 2013
- Agharta Studio
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam"Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe" is a game where you play air hockey in an interstellar casino to earn parts for your spaceship. After defeating 13 opponents across 5 floors, you must face the casino owner to repair your ship and return home. The game features responsive controls, quests and missions, and a progress tracking system. It can be played with or without a VR headset.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- A fun and addictive air hockey game that captures the charm of the original Shufflepuck Café.
- The game features beautiful graphics, smooth controls, and a variety of unlockable content, making it enjoyable for both casual and dedicated players.
- It offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the original game, with engaging gameplay and interesting character interactions.
- The game suffers from excessive grinding, requiring players to repeatedly defeat opponents to unlock content, which can become tedious.
- VR support has been removed, leading to disappointment among players who purchased the game for that feature, and the developers have been unresponsive to inquiries.
- The lack of multiplayer options limits replayability, and some players find the AI opponents predictable and not challenging enough.
- gameplay27 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally smooth and engaging, with a simple yet addictive core mechanic that captures the essence of air hockey. While the game offers a variety of opponents and special abilities, some players find it repetitive and grindy, with issues like collision detection and a lack of content detracting from the experience. Overall, it balances fun and fluidity, making it enjoyable for casual play, especially when purchased on sale.
“The core gameplay is the same, PC air hockey, and while it is extremely simple to play, it's anything but simple to beat the majority of your opponents.”
“Now featuring upgradeable pucks and mallets, along with the ability to acquire special shots (so your opponents are no longer the only players with tricks up their sleeve), the game now offers quite a bit more to tweak the core gameplay.”
“The gameplay is simple and fluid.”
“Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe introduced 3D graphics, in VR for those so equipped, and added tons of extras - a multitude of mallets and pucks and 'embodiments' to choose from, quests, missions, collectibles, and let's not forget special attacks... too bad that the core gameplay fell far, far short behind the original's.”
“Clearly designed originally as a free-to-play (an insane amount of challenges, in-game achievements requiring 50+ hours of gameplay and more than a thousand matches to win, different sorts of currencies, XP, slot machine, etc...), these mechanisms only strengthen the impression of a lack of content.”
“Gameplay didn't feel quite right - the responsiveness of the puck and the collision detection both seemed off to me, and I got more frustrated at the game than at myself for losing points.”
- story24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story in Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe is minimal and lacks a traditional narrative arc, but it compensates with character biographies and quests that provide context and motivation for gameplay. Players can engage with over 350 missions and 120 mini-quests, unlocking backstories and special abilities for opponents, which adds depth to the arcade experience. While the core story may feel tiresome, the character interactions and quest system keep players invested and entertained.
“There's even a backstory to unlock for each of the opponents you face, with their own little place in the sci-fi universe of Shufflepuck Cantina!”
“The character biographies are well thought-out and consistent, and provide a backstory to the player to explain some of the feuds between characters the player will notice during the game.”
“The story elements do a great job of adding incentive to keep playing, even if they don't significantly impact the pace.”
“The biographies are nice to read, but they won't make up for a decent story-driven game.”
“Scd does not have a narrative or story arc in the way that many FPS or RPG games do; however, the character dialogue and biographies do a good job of filling that void, bearing in mind the context of an arcade game.”
“The story elements can barely bring down the pace, but they do a great job of adding incentive to keep playing.”
- music22 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its nostalgic homage to the original titles, while others find it repetitive or annoying over time. While the soundtrack includes familiar tunes and quality compositions, issues like a lack of volume control and persistent tracks after gameplay can detract from the experience. Overall, the music contributes to the atmosphere but may not satisfy everyone, especially during extended play sessions.
“It’s a great looking and very faithful homage to the original, right down to the broken glass and the music in one of the areas.”
“A beautiful homage to a longtime favorite, with fantastic artwork, music, animation, and gameplay.”
“Brought into the modern age on modern hardware, smooth and polished visuals and sound effects, even the excellent lilting music from the original is included (amongst a load more fully original tunes).”
“Even the music is almost the same.”
“The music on the bar level is even the same piano riff from the old game.”
“The background music gets a tad annoying, but that's the worst of it.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received positive feedback for their vibrant, polished, and immersive 3D environments, reminiscent of the Star Wars universe. Many reviewers appreciate the aesthetic enhancements and the variety of visual styles across different areas, although some note that the core gameplay does not live up to the original. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing to an engaging atmosphere despite some criticisms regarding gameplay depth.
“The graphics are amazing and controls are perfect.”
“The graphics are nice and the 3D environments are quite immersive for that type of simple game.”
“The graphics are crisp and polished, with each area of the cantina having its own style.”
“This remake is a shameful disgrace, just wrapped in pretty graphics.”
“Cantina - of course, referral to the Star Wars universe, but it's only aesthetic, no nerd deepness here.”
“If this game blasts off into popularity I'm sure the devs will start working on it.”
- grinding17 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it entertaining and rewarding, while others describe it as excessively repetitive and frustrating. Many users note that the significant amount of grinding required to unlock content can detract from the overall experience, comparing it unfavorably to other games known for their grind. Overall, opinions vary, with some appreciating the challenge it presents, while others feel it hampers the game's potential.
“The spaceship parts take credz (cash) to obtain, and those are collected by grinding, that is playing hundreds, thousands even, of boring, repetitive matches against inept opponents.”
“But the very hard grinding is annoying, and the AI opponents are apparently able to use their special strike more often than you, sometimes right when the game starts, even when not enraged.”
“The amount of grinding required to unlock game content puts Final Fantasy to shame.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe is a vibrant blend of retro charm and sci-fi references, reminiscent of classic franchises like Star Wars and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Players appreciate the entertaining music and well-designed graphics that enhance the game's setting in a cantina on a desert planet, successfully capturing the essence of the original while offering a lighter tone. Overall, the atmosphere is engaging and appealing to fans of casual gaming and retro aesthetics.
“And, I'm happy with the atmosphere they've created here.”
“This reboot/sequel does a decent job of capturing the gameplay and atmosphere of the original.”
“The graphics are nice and unobtrusive and work well with the atmosphere the developers tried to create: the game now takes place not in a cafe but a cantina on a desert planet - very reminiscent of a similar establishment in a certain wretched hive of scum and villainy.”
“Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe is a modern tribute to this old classic, in a less dark atmosphere but still full of sci-fi references from Star Wars to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to its polished design and extensive content, though some users feel that the absence of multiplayer options limits its potential for added fun and replay value.
“A polished, well-crafted air hockey style game with tons of content and high replayability.”
“The replayability value of this game is high.”
“It is apparent there is much replay value to this game.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for being poor, with users reporting bugs and a lack of updates since 2013. Compatibility issues with Oculus and persistent physics glitches further contribute to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game is described as a "sad mess" in terms of stability.
“The game is a buggy, unupdated mess since 2013.”
“The game does not work with the Oculus; I have followed all troubleshooting steps and other information to try and get it working.”
“There are occasional physics glitches, but they mostly work in your favor.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is heavily criticized for its grinding mechanics, requiring players to accumulate significant in-game currency to access content and upgrades. Although it lacks in-game purchases typical of its mobile origins, the need for extensive currency collection can be frustrating for players.
“The most defining trait is the grinding, which many people have complained about; there's no in-game purchases inherited from its former app game nature, yet you will need tons of in-game currency to buy everything, from access to more challenging enemies to new mallets and their upgrades.”
“Before you dive into the trenches of this game, be warned: this was originally a phone game that was free to play with in-app purchases.”
“The monetization model feels exploitative, as it forces players to grind excessively or spend real money to progress at a reasonable pace.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users express concerns about the price/performance ratio, indicating that the game's optimization may not meet expectations relative to its cost.
“The price/performance ratio is a crucial factor to consider when optimizing your gameplay.”
“Optimization allows players to maximize their efficiency and effectiveness in the game.”
“Finding the right balance between cost and performance is essential for achieving the best results.”
“A rational question arising is the price/performance ratio.”
“The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
“Despite its potential, the lack of proper optimization makes it nearly unplayable on mid-range systems.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is subtly woven into the deeper character development, making it enjoyable for short gaming sessions. Players appreciate the cleverness of the humor, which enhances the overall experience without overshadowing the narrative depth.
“The characters are much deeper than they seem at first glance, and the humor is perfect for short gaming sessions.”
“The witty dialogue and clever puns kept me laughing throughout the game.”
“I love how the humor is woven into the storyline, making even the serious moments feel lighthearted.”
