Atari has announced that they have a new entry in one of the oldest video game franchises around. Qomp2 is an upcoming game developed by Graphite Labs, and is the sequel to the shortform 2021 indie game, Qomp. It’s scheduled to hit PC, consoles, and mobile platforms in 2024.
Qomp was a spiritual success to 1972’s Pong, which is a game I probably don’t need to explain. Qomp is said to be the answer to the question, “What would happen if the pong ball escaped the paddles?” Well, I already know the answer to that. A point would be counted for the opposite side. It’s the point of the game.
If it was up to me, the ball would break out into the real world and discover that it has to get a job to afford to live. Then, it would struggle with a dead-end job, bills, loneliness, and an uncaring society. It would yearn to return to the Pong playing field.
Emotions about balls
However, in Qomp’s universe, the ball goes on an adventure through a deadly, minimalistic labyrinth. Minimalistic is pretty much the defining word here, as the challenges and movement are all based on a single button that changes the direction of the ball. It was also a short game, but it got some modest acclaim.
Qomp2 is bringing a second button to the input table. This one is a dash, and dashes make everything better. It promises “an enigmatic story of doubt, fear, and self-acceptance, told wordlessly with simple animations, effects, and the game mechanics themselves.” That sounds like an indie game, yeah. Interestingly, though, I’m not sure if the original developers are involved. The first Qomp was a group of indie devs united by Stuffed Wombat, but the sequel is being done by frequent Atari collaborator Graphite Labs.
Qomp 2 will release on PC, consoles, and mobile platforms in 2024.
