Why Pengpong’s Puck Combat Feels Like a Roguelike Revolution

Ever find yourself yawning at the same old barrage of bullets in roguelikes? Pengpong, the upcoming arena shooter from indie studio SandyFloor, trades firearms for neon-lit hockey pucks. From the first ricochet, this slapstick twist turns every chamber into a living billiards table primed for chaos—or triumph, if you can stick the landing.

At a Glance

• Developer: SandyFloor (Great Toy Showdown)
• Genre: Roguelike arena / slapstick action
• Core Mechanic: Physics-driven puck combat (no guns)
• Play Modes: Single-player & local 2-player co-op (online TBD)
• Platform: PC (Early Access on Epic Games Store)
• Demo: Tokyo Game Show 2025 (Indie Area)
• Early Access: March 2026
• Influences: Brotato’s upgrade depth, Cuphead’s animation flair

Physics-First Combat That Clicks

Pengpong isn’t just dressing up a twin-stick shooter in neon—it rebuilds its foundation on true-to-life physics. Every puck ricochet obeys the angle of incidence, which means you can bank shots off walls, ceilings, or even enemy shields. In my TGS demo, I pulled off a triple “corner bank” finish: I bounced the puck off three walls before launching it straight through an enemy horde. It felt less like a game trick and more like a stolen move from a high-stakes billiards hall.

Timing and positioning matter more here than raw firepower. You’ll weave through projectile storms, use pucks to parry incoming shots, and juggle your ammo like a circus performer. The depth emerges when you combine simple ricochets with boost jumps, slow-motion powerups, and explosive modifiers—suddenly, each arena becomes a playground of emergent opportunities.

Cartoon Charm with Modern Flair

SandyFloor rallies 1960s rubber-hose animation and splashes it with neon and grit. Characters stretch, squash, and squeak as they blast pucks, while arena hazards—like shifting platforms and electric tiles—pulse in synchronized color beats. There’s no retro filter here: every hand-drawn frame is polished, giving each puck bounce its own personality. It’s like Saturday morning cartoons got a caffeine boost.

The soundtrack reinforces the manic energy. Thumping electronic beats sync with puck impacts, turning each combo into a mini dance track. Even without sound, the vivid color palette and fluid animation keep the sight gags crisp and the mood irrepressibly buoyant.

Deep Upgrades, Effortless Flow

Over 100 items and modifiers await discovery—from explosive pucks that shatter on impact to teleporting ricochets that loop behind enemies. Rather than clutter your screen with bars and percentages, Pengpong groups upgrades into intuitive categories: Offensive, Defensive, and Utility. Picking a new modifier feels like grabbing a fresh tool mid-run, not juggling spreadsheets. And synergy opportunities abound: pair a speed boost with a curveball effect, then watch as your puck zips around corners in slow motion.

Each run rewards experimentation. One session I focused on raw power—every puck resembled a mini grenade. The next, I doubled down on tempo: boosting and bouncing pucks so fast the arena glowed in trails of light. The balance between randomness and player choice is finely tuned, making failures feel like lessons, not dead ends.

Arena Variants and Hazards

Pengpong’s arenas aren’t static backdrops. You’ll encounter bounce pads that catapult pucks skyward, electrified rails that charge your shots, and shifting walls that transform chambers mid-fight. One memorable arena had rotating pillars that could deflect both your shots and the enemy’s—forcing you to adapt on the fly. These environmental wrinkles keep combat from ever growing stale.

Couch Co-op Chaos

Bring a buddy and brace for delightful mayhem. In local two-player mode, you share pucks and powerups—so friendly fire is both threat and strategy. I teamed up with a friend who constantly boomeranged my explosive pucks back at me; the result? Hilarious betrayals and triumphant comebacks. Even without confirmed online matchmaking, Pengpong’s couch play proved itself as an instant party favorite.

Early Access and Roadmap

SandyFloor plans to use Early Access feedback to refine balance, tune arenas, and—fingers crossed—add online co-op. The developers have promised regular patches and community polls to guide new content. If physics-driven puzzles or boss rush modes get added down the line, Pengpong could evolve far beyond its demo roots.

Verdict

If twin-stick shooters are starting to feel stale, Pengpong’s slapstick energy and physics-heavy mechanics offer a breath of fresh air. With its cartoon charm, deep—but manageable—upgrade systems, and couch co-op anarchy, it might just be the roguelike revolution fans didn’t know they needed. Mark your calendar for March 2026’s Early Access—I’ll be first in line to bank, boost, and blast my way through every puck-packed chamber.

TL;DR: Swap bullets for blazing hockey pucks in this neon-splashed roguelike. Physics-fueled combos, hand-drawn flair, and local co-op chaos await next spring.