This game...is an absolute mess.
If pinball and roulette had some kind of mutant lovechild, this would be it. As soon as you press start, you are bombarded by sound effects and a confusing game screen before you realize that the only controls that do anything are lift and right click to control your left and right bumpers, respectively. Basically, there's a pair of bumpers on each edge of a shape of your choosing (hexagon for 6 players, etc). Whenever a ball comes within striking range of your bumpers, hit a button. That's how you play. Literally. That's it.
So, basically, you spend 90% of your time waiting for the opportunity to hit a ball and sighing. Sounds like fun? I didn't think so. See, pinball is fun because of its fast pace. When you aren't actively hitting a bumper, you're frantically scanning around, attempting to trace the path of the little shiny metal ball as it bounces off of stuff. This can get a little tricky and it certainly requires focus, but it's manageable and fun because it only forces you to look at one thing. The human mind can trace one object rather easily. BEMPU, on the other hand, features many slow-moving objects rather than one fast-moving one. This makes the game not only boring but also very disorienting. Even if you did try to follow the motion paths of all the balls as they flew through the air, it seems like ages before you actually get the opportunity to hit one of them.
Also, remember before when I said I would stop commenting on sound direction unless there was genuinely something worth talking about? Well in this game, there is no music. I already commented on the confusing and discombobulated sound effects, so I think we can all agree the sound direction isn't exactly competent.
In summary, this game is a bug-eyed, delirious mess that I suggest you pass on unless you want to study it to gain knowledge about the human mind and its weaknesses.
I was kind of harsh in this review, I admit, but you know what? I'm glad that this game was made. Damn glad. All that info I spewed about the difference between one vs many objects I learned just from playing this game. This kind of hearkens back to my Astrobunny review where I commented on the possible benefit to scholarly pursuits that game can have. I see that same faintly glimmering diamond somewhere in BEMPU, but whereas Astrobunny was a genuinely enjoyable experience, BEMPU just hurts.
Thanks for hearing me out again. Until next time, stay sentient.
