MiRacle Pool Goes Back In Time With Vintage Pack DLC

Pixel Works has released the Vintage Pack for MiRacle Pool, aiming to scratch that historical billiards itch. I traveled back in time to roll a few balls in the DLC’s virtual and mixed reality modes, so read on for my impressions.

When I went hands-on with MiRacle Pool last year, I thoroughly enjoyed the way it brings a life-sized pool table into my real-world dining room. The game features some of the best physics I’ve ever seen in a virtual pool sim and has graphics that pop nicely in mixed reality, almost making me believe that my dining room has been transformed into a pool hall. Now, a little over a year later, Pixel Works has taken the game back to the past, providing a DLC called the Vintage Pack.

All Things Vintage

For $1.99, this pack provides a few nice enhancements to the base game, with the most notable being the inclusion of a custom VR environment. This new space transforms the default modern attic setting into something that resembles a time when records were played on the gramophone and dark wood paneling was the style of the day, covering walls and almost everything else.

Mixed reality gameplay image captured by UploadVR

Rounding out the visual updates is a new avatar that resembles a cast member of Disney’s Newsies—well, the top half at least—and some new cues, plus a custom ball set that looks worn and scuffed, as well as a classic felt texture for the table.

The vintage pack also introduces a new ragtime-sounding piano melody that seems period appropriate to the new environment, but WOW… it gets old quickly. This becomes one of those repeating tunes that you just can’t get out of your head for hours after playing. A longer track with more variation, or better yet, several to choose from, would be ideal here. I’m glad that Pixel Works gives you the option to turn the music off.

One thing that strikes me as a bit odd is that when playing single player, which is my preferred method of play, the NPC avatars don’t take on a classic look in Vintage Mode. That sort of kills the illusion for me. It was as if vibrant, colorfully dressed modern beings from the future had invaded my vintage space, which feels wrong and out of place.

When playing in local multiplayer, the second player pleasingly retains the period-appropriate look. That can be amusing at times when the avatar’s upper body aligns perfectly with your gaming partner’s lower half, creating a weird half-virtual, half-human chimera.

Overall, the Vintage Pack is a great addition to MiRacle Pool and provides a relaxing trip to a time not so long ago. So, if you are ready for a bit of vintage billiards, MiRacle Pool has got you covered. You can grab the DLC today and take a trip back yourself; just don’t let that catchy piano tune get stuck in your head, because once it’s there… it may never leave.

The Vintage Pack for MiRacle Pool is available now for Quest 2, 3, 3S & Pro.