They can't convince you that you're at an arcade or in your basement with your eyes peeled to the table in front. That's something those more video gamey pinball games simply can't do. But now they've put out the 'Super League Football' tables on the PS4, which while different in design from the classic 'World Cup Soccer '94', evoke that same sense of progression and achievement. Zen Studios and their noble devotion to realistic pinball recreation was already on my radar when they were releasing their first tables. With objectives so obvious but goals so hard to reach, it's no wonder that at my young age I grew attached to the machine. You see, it was one of those tables with a long-term goal that not only injected life into every tap of the flipper, it grew the stakes of the game beyond the high score. It was retro and it was fun, but it didn't compare to the other table, Bally's 'World Cup Soccer '94.' If I ever love a pinball table it's only in comparison to the extravagant, boisterous event of turning on that table and fighting my way into the World Cup. The first, 'Big Indian,' was your typical score-hunting fare with the unique twist of showing four scorecards at the same time in flip-number fashion. With lots to do and good replay value in trying to get 100% coverage on each level, Zen Bound 2 is a worthy addition to anyone’s collection.Growing up I was lucky enough to have two pinball tables in my home. It is almost a shame that it has taken this long for technology to catch up with the idea behind the game but I’m glad it got there in the end. The Nintendo Switch release is undoubtedly the best version available all thanks to the Joy-Con’s ability to double up as a handy little motion control which, for once, adds a new depth to the game without simply being another gimmick. Zen Bound 2 is a great title that continues the solid foundation set out by its predecessor. For this new release, it has been exclusively mixed in 5.1 splendidness by the electronic artist Ghost Monkey. This already great package is backed up with a sublime, enveloping soundtrack which is in keeping with the games aura. I soon found this became my preferred input method and although the touchscreen works perfectly well I just felt the physical buttons were a little too cumbersome. The game runs smoothly and the inclusion of motion control really adds and lifts the whole experience. It was always a pretty looking title even on mobile but thanks to the Switch’s screen it looks even better in handheld mode and just as nice when docked. Visuals are beautifully crafted, from the menu screens which offer a level select in the form of paper lanterns on trees to the realistic, tactile, wooden objects which wait in each area. To its credit, Zen Bound 2 is a game you can play for a moment and make decent progress or get lost in its tranquillity for hours on end without even realising. Each level has three target scores to achieve – minimum, medium and maximum, which can bring a surprising amount of complexity to the game. Many of the levels are quick and easy to beat but the real fun comes in the challenge of getting the required target score using a limited length of rope. The game mechanic is simple yet pure genius, making you rotate a rope around the given object and subsequently painting the surrounding area that comes into contact with it. Zen Bound 2 is more of the same which is perfectly OK with me, it features over 100 levels each of which contains a different size and shaped object to overcome. Sequel of the 2009 cult indie hit by Secret Exit in-which the aim of the game is to paint a variety of objects by wrapping them up. Of course, though this isn’t always as simple as you might think and that brings me neatly back to Zen Bound 2. In Nintendo’s the mini-game players frantically rotate the Joy-Con in an attempt to unravel chains surrounding a treasure chest in the quickest time possible, it was relatively fun and helped to showcase the versatility of the new hybrid console. You could be forgiven in thinking that Zen Bound 2 is a copy of the Treasure Chest mini-game from Nintendo’s 1-2-Switch just released as a standalone game but that isn’t true at all.
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