Developer: PopCap Games

Genre: Arcade Puzzle Game

Description:
Peggle is an addictive puzzle game initially released on the PC and Mac platforms in 2007, with versions later becoming available on PS3, XBOX 360 and Nintendo DS systems. The player launches balls from the top of the screen at a number of orange and blue squares (or 'pegs'), with the aim being to eliminate all of the orange pegs before using up the remaining balls.

Peggle sample screen

What makes it a casual game?
Simple gameplay, quick levels and a lack of any real plot/storyline make Peggle a very easy game to dip into for 5 or 10 minutes. The presentation is basic but elegant, designed to appeal to both young or old audiences.

How does the player interact with the game?
The whole game operates using the mouse only, with left and right movements manipulating the launcher and left click firing a ball. An alternate method of input uses the arrow keys to aim and the spacebar to fire. This is the extent of player interaction with the game.

What is the core game play elements/mechanics?
The game plays like a kind of inverted Breakout/Alleyway. The player has 10 silver balls to start, and is presented with a themed level featuring 4 different classes of pegs:

Blue Pegs: bog standard pegs, used as an obstacle to the others
Orange Pegs: main objective, worth 10x as many points as blue pegs
Green Pegs: provide different power-ups depending on the theme of the level
Purple Pegs: score multipliers

The player must carefully fire their ball at the orange pegs, and all orange pegs must be eliminated to pass the level. As the ball ricochets off pegs, they light up, and remain lit until the ball falls off the bottom of the screen, ending that turn. Once the ball is out of play, any lit pegs disappear and the player receives points which are calculated based on the colour of the peg and how many pegs the player has lit up with that ball. If a certain score is reached, the player is awarded another ball.

If the player manages to eliminate all of the orange pegs before running out of balls, the level is completed. If not, the level is lost and the player must retry. Bonus points are awarded if the player manages to eliminate all of the pegs on the screen without running out of balls.

What are the Win and Lose states?

The level is won if all orange pegs are eliminated. The level is lost if the player runs out of balls without eliminating the orange pegs.

What makes it fun?
Humorous presentation, addictive gameplay and some really ridiculously cheerful characters mean that most people spend half of this game with a massive smile on their face. There is no penalty for failure, so puzzles can be attempted over and over or even paused to be completed later.

Why do players come back and play it again and again?
The need to finish a particular level or finish just one more puzzle means that players will keep coming back to this game. Once all the levels are completed, all of the powerups are unlocked, allowing a huge amount of replay value and increased challenge.