•Bumper Bout, a two-player competitive pinball game that has drawn praise for its concept and execution, currently has a playable demo available on Steam.
The game was played at PAX Australia over the weekend, where it served as the final title of the Omegathon, the main stage tournament held across the course of the event. It was introduced by a developer who described being drawn to pinball while noting that “no one ever dies” in the genre.
Bumper Bout pits two players against each other on separate halves of a single playfield. Each competitor manages their own balls and flippers, but can also flick balls across the divide to disrupt the opponent. While one player attempts skill shots or clears existing balls, the other can send additional trouble over “the fence,” according to the report.
In each round, losing a ball down the ballhole costs a heart, and the first player to lose five hearts loses. Scoring points by hitting bumpers and targets earns attack balls that can be sent toward an opponent or stored until four are collected, unlocking a character’s ultimate ability. These abilities range from creating a gravity well to, for the pirate character, throwing bombs across the playfield.
The game features multiple playfields, including a space level where satellites and moons collide to generate more balls, and a foosball table in which the flippers also activate half of the player standees, allowing them to be used to flick balls as well.
The demo includes singleplayer content with arcade and survival modes planned, and online multiplayer is scheduled for the final version. The full game is set to release on October 29.
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