Rack and Slay is a unique indie roguelike dungeon crawler where you slay foes as a billiard ball! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth playing.
Rack and Slay Review Overview
What is Rack and Slay?
Rack and Slay is a curious addition to the roguelike genre with its pool-based dungeon-crawling gameplay. You play as a heroic cue ball, felling foes in a dungeon by launching yourself and pocketing them as you would in a game of pool. Various items, pickups, and enemy types ensure that every run is different from the last as you fight through a 10-stage dungeon filled with traps, spikes, wayward pockets, and enough pool shenanigans to scratch that roguelike itch.
Rack and Slay features:
⚫︎ Quick and easy gameplay similar to real-life pool
⚫︎ 100+ items, pickups, obstacles, and enemy types
⚫︎ Great potential for item synergy and wacky RNG shenanigans
⚫︎ Wild Runs for maximum randomness
⚫︎ Customizable run lengths with compounding difficulty
 Steam |
$5.99 |
Rack and Slay Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 A Novel Idea Executed Well Great Variety in Enemies |
Way Too Short RNG Can Become Unmanageable Maybe a Bit Too Simple |
Rack and Slay Overall Score - 66/100
Rack and Slay is a unique game that’s undeniably fun and unlikely to be usurped by a similar title anytime soon. That said, this game has little finesse and artistry apart from its main gameplay loop, which diminishes its value as a product. It’s a great game, for sure, but nothing more.
Rack and Slay Story - 6/10
It’s hard to say if Rack and Slay’s story is good because it’s hard to tell if it has a story at all. The basic premise is there, and so is the skeletal structure of the story, but it lacks the meat and connective tissue that holds roguelikes together. At least the characterization is on point, and you can tell what each ball does at a glance.
Rack and Slay Gameplay - 8/10
Despite its incredibly short runtime and basic premise, Rack and Slay plays as smoothly as a real-life pool and has sufficient variety befitting a roguelike. It evokes the simple yet profound joy that old family computer games from PopCap used to have and is every bit as fun as it looks.
Rack and Slay Visuals - 7/10
Rack and Slay features a cartoonish visual style that’s oddly appropriate to its wacky and oh-so-random gameplay. This is especially true when the bombs start flying, and the miniballs start pinging off the walls. It’s not the most cohesive or appealing style, but I can’t say that it looks bad at all.
Rack and Slay Audio - 5/10
Rack and Slay’s music isn’t bad; it just seems like a random choice for an oddly specific vibe. To the game’s credit, there isn’t a lot of music that one could conceptualize from the premise of a dungeon-crawling cueball, but I didn’t expect it to be this disconnected.
Rack and Slay Value for Money - 8/10
This game goes for the price of a decent burger and offers fun dungeon-crawling pool gameplay in return. It’s not a lot of gameplay, but you get what you pay for and probably wouldn’t regret it. At the very least, it’ll keep you entertained for a few hours.
Rack and Slay Review: Not the Cleanest Break
They say that if a game or sport exists, there’s a roguelike version of it somewhere. Balatro came out recently, and I became inclined to it. However, playing cards as a concept lent itself well to the roguelike experience, and Balatro’s more of a deck builder, if I’m being honest.
But what really made me believe was Rack and Slay and its particular premise of dungeon-crawling pool balls. If you told me a couple of years ago that such a game could exist, I’d be a bit skeptical, if not surprised. Yet, here we are in the future, with a pool roguelike that isn’t half bad, though a little limited.
So, with that preamble done, let’s rack up another set and break to see exactly what makes Rack and Slay tick.
How does one dungeon crawl as a cueball, exactly? Well, it’s rather simple. You are the cueball, and the other balls are your enemies. In typical pool fashion, you want to knock other balls into the pockets without falling into any yourself.
Though this isn’t actual pool, so the order of which balls to pocket largely doesn’t matter, any prior knowledge of the sport will still be helpful here. You’ll still be making bank shots and threading needles, after all.
If that’s all the game was, then it’d be as much a roguelike as normal chess. Of course, you’ve got to throw some roguelike razzle-dazzle in the mix, which comes in the form of items, pickups, and special enemies.
After every set, which is concluded by pocketing all enemies or surviving their attacks, you’re given the chance to get new items from a shop. There are also other things you can buy here, but we’ll get to those later.
These items embody the roguelike aspect of this game to a tee—or a cue, rather—as they allow you to get into some of the most ridiculous pool-based shenanigans possible. From the mundane to the insane, this shop has it all, and you’ll have to collect the coins to spend while knocking enemy balls into pockets.
Some of my favorite items include Trinity, which triples the effect of the next item you get, and Impaler, which gives you a spike to kill enemies instantly. If you’ve played other roguelikes with compounding upgrades like Risk of Rain 2, then you already understand Rack and Slay’s item system because, boy, do these things stack!
Pickups show up in the middle of the dungeon and are obtained by rolling over them. This makes pocketing enemies much tougher because these could be anything from coins to traps that could actually kill you.
Speaking of enemies, this game features a large variety of unique balls that keep the gameplay fresh. Normal balls can be pocketed with no issue while some balls trigger effects before, during, or after your shot. My favorite has to be the Berserker ball, which shoots after you whenever you take a shot.
After enough dungeons, you’ll end your crawl with a boss encounter featuring a particularly difficult set of enemies that you need to finish. After that, it’s off to the scoring board to see how many shots it took for you to finish a run, with a lower number being better.
You unlock new shop items based on the number of sets you finish, which begins and concludes this game’s meta-progression. That’s basically it for the gameplay, as the other modes either add new modifiers for your run or just make it harder overall.
It seems rather…simple, no? There is no overarching narrative as to why you need to defeat the other balls, no real pool-based world to look into; heck, there isn’t much to this game apart from, well, the game That’s where the problems start for Rack and Slay.
While its gameplay is short, sweet, and extremely replayable, Rack and Slay doesn’t have a good story, unique art style, or good audio feat to lean on. It truly is "just a game," and I think that diminishes its value somewhat.
Not every game has to be a AAA experience, but there’s about as much wholeness and personality to Rack and Slay as an NES game. You just play. You don’t watch cinematics since there’s none, you don’t plan builds because it’s largely too random, you don’t think about a story or narrative that isn’t there, and you don’t think about this game once you close it.
I feel like this is a bit of wasted potential because the gameplay is really solid. I just wish there was more to it. Maybe I’m being a bit greedy, but I’d appreciate more modes, more enemies, more items, or even a varying set of cueballs with different passives.
I wouldn’t call this game a nothing burger. It’s more of a plain old hamburger with just ketchup and no cheese. Is it good? Yes, of course. Could it be better in so many ways? Oh, you know it. Granted, a better burger would cost more, but I’d be willing to pay extra, considering that this game costs about as much as a burger with fixings anyway.
It’s certainly not the cleanest break for a unique indie roguelike, but that’s the beauty of the indie scene. If this game’s developer is willing to touch this game up, maybe add more content, update its music, and make its runs longer, I’d be willing to put my money where my cue balls are.
Pros of Rack and Slay
| Things Rack and Slay Got Right |
|---|
|
A Novel Idea Executed Well Great Variety in Enemies |
A Novel Idea Executed Well
It’s a very specific compliment to give this game, but I think Rack and Slay’s approach is as good as it can get for a pool-based roguelike. It borrows elements from the real sport and translates it well into the roguelike formula, even if the source material isn’t the most visually exciting sport ever.
The shop items, pickups, and enemies all lend great variety to every run, and I often wonder how my next run would be. It’s a fun loop that doesn’t take too long or try too hard. However, it could try a bit harder.
Great Variety in Enemies
The enemies in this game are fun and unique and take up pretty much all the design space one could have from pool balls. Some are heavier than others while some shoot mini-balls at you to throw off your game. There are boss enemies that can’t be pocketed until all the rest are gone, and there are balls that summon more when you kill them.
It’s all extremely creative, and the game’s cartoony style went wild with each of the enemy balls’ designs. No joke, even if you haven’t encountered a certain enemy type before, you can guess their whole schtick and be correct 75% of the time.
Cons of Rack and Slay
| Things That Rack and Slay Can Improve |
|---|
|
Way Too Short RNG Can Become Unmanageable Maybe a Bit Too Simple |
Way Too Short
When I say that this game is "short, but sweet," I mean it. A complete run can take half an hour when you first start, but this can be shaved down to 15 minutes when you begin to grasp the mechanics.
There are other modes to play, including a wild mode with new modifiers and a daily mode with a leaderboard. But, don’t expect those to take any longer than a normal game. Sadly, there’s not much to this game apart from that, so once you’re done, you’re done.
RNG Can Become Unmanageable
RNG is responsible for the spicy randomness in roguelikes that fans of the genre desperately crave. It adds a bit of pizzazz to standard formulas and forces critical thinking. That said, a little bit of RNG goes a long way, but too much might make a game unplayable.
I wouldn’t say that Rack and Slay is there yet in terms of randomness, but between the mini-balls, bombs, spikes, and enemies, later stages can become a bit of a crapshoot. There were times when I could swear to every deity known to man that my bank shot should have hit, but a wayward mini-ball that came from an item that I forgot about would knock me off course and into a pocket.
Maybe a Bit Too Simple
I don’t mean to call this game "too simple" to deride; I actually like its gameplay a lot. I just recognize that there’s a lot of unexplored design space with the cue balls, items, and pickups that the game could explore in the future to up its variety.
It’s playable now, and I can appreciate it even if the developer chooses not to go much further with this game. I just think it’s a bit of a wasted opportunity if they do.
Is Rack and Slay Worth It?
It’s Cheap Enough to Not Regret Trying
Of all the things that this game has going for it, it’s the price tag that makes it worth trying. As much as I appreciate this game’s novel premise and smooth gameplay, I think its variety and volume of content warrant its price of $5.99 but not a cent more. You will get what you pay for with this game; it’s just the greedy roguelike enjoyer within me who keeps begging for more.
At the very least, on the not-so-off chance that you regret buying this game for its lack of story or good audio, it’s cheap enough for you to just move on with your day.
| Platform | Price |
|---|---|
| Steam |
$5.99 |
Rack and Slay FAQ
Who Developed Rack and Slay?
Rack and Slay was developed by Fabian Fischer, a German game dev who also goes by Ludokultur. His other games include Prosperous Universe, Hyperdrome, and Crimson Company.
How Do You Kill Boss Balls in Rack and Slay?
Boss Balls are encountered on the 5th and 10th dungeons of every run. They can only be pocketed or killed if every other ball in the dungeon has been removed. Otherwise, they will respawn on a random space on the board.
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Rack and Slay Product Information
 |
|
| Title | RACK AND SLAY |
|---|---|
| Release Date | May 27, 2024 |
| Developer | Ludokultur |
| Publisher | 2 Left Thumbs |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Genre | Strategy, Indie, Roguelite |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Rack and Slay Website |
