You’ve found yourself aboard a ship stranded at sea, the crew has mysteriously disappeared, and a voice inside your head is telling you to play pool. Under normal circumstances, you might question whether a game of billiards is the best use of your time. Unfortunately, these aren’t normal circumstances. The pool tables are being used for supernatural rituals, ancient horrors are waiting to be summoned, and somebody has thoughtfully provided you with a gun. At least if your trick shots aren’t up to scratch, you’ve got another way to settle the score.
Pool of Madness is a Lovecraftian horror roguelite from Bit Golem, the studio behind Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft, launching into Steam Early Access today. Combining billiards, pinball-style physics, shooting, and roguelite upgrades, it turns an ordinary game of pool into a series of increasingly bizarre supernatural encounters. You’ll perform rituals, customize your cue, hunt creatures from beyond, and investigate what happened to the ship’s missing crew.
Eight Ball, Corner Pocket, Summon an Ancient Evil
The basic idea behind Pool of Madness is familiar enough. You’ve got a cue, a collection of balls, and pockets waiting to receive them. However, these aren’t ordinary pool tables, and sinking balls is only the beginning of your problems.
Each table serves as an altar where you’ll perform rituals designed to draw out creatures from the void. Completing these challenges means experimenting with trick shots, ricochets, and combinations that can send balls bouncing around in increasingly unpredictable directions.
The game takes inspiration from the satisfying chain reactions of pinball, rewarding you for creating elaborate sequences rather than simply knocking one ball into a pocket. Things can become ridiculous pretty quickly. Fish can explode in midair, balls can bounce off their tails, and carefully arranged collisions can produce enormous scoring multipliers.
When in Doubt, Bring a Gun to a Pool Game
Your cue isn’t the only weapon available. Pool of Madness also gives you a gun, which can be used alongside your billiards skills to deal with the increasingly chaotic situations unfolding around you. The two systems work together, combining precision shots with more direct firepower. You might begin by lining up a carefully planned trick shot, only to find yourself reaching for your gun when the situation gets out of hand.
As you progress, you’ll collect parts that can be used to modify your cue. These upgrades change how it performs, introducing new opportunities to experiment with different combinations and strategies. Power-ups, multipliers, and chain reactions add further possibilities, encouraging you to discover interactions that produce increasingly impressive results. A successful combination could send several balls flying around the table, trigger additional effects, and earn enough points to make your previous attempts look embarrassing.
Of course, getting everything to work together is another matter. There’s always the possibility that your carefully planned masterpiece will end with a single ball rolling harmlessly into the wrong corner.
The Crew Has Vanished, and Something Wants to Play
Beyond the supernatural billiards, there’s a mystery surrounding the ship itself. You’re playing as a Voidhunter, tasked with purging the vessel of eldritch creatures by completing rituals and confronting whatever horrors they summon.
The ship’s crew has disappeared, leaving you to uncover what happened while a mysterious voice provides instructions that might not be entirely trustworthy. Successfully completing rituals draws out powerful void creatures, which you’ll need to hunt down for additional loot and progress.
Failure means starting another attempt, although the roguelite progression gives you opportunities to return with improved equipment and new strategies. The game features both procedurally generated and handcrafted rituals, providing different challenges as you work through its strange collection of tables.
A Few More Balls Still to Come
Pool of Madness enters Early Access with its core mechanics in place, although Bit Golem has made it clear that development is ongoing. The studio plans to introduce additional tables, locations, bosses, items, and gameplay systems as development continues, with a full release currently targeted for the third quarter of 2027.
There’s also a free demo available on Steam for anyone who wants to try the unusual combination of billiards and cosmic horror before committing. For players who enjoy the unpredictable combinations of Balatro or Inscryption, the mixture of trick shots, upgrade synergies, and supernatural encounters offers an interesting change of scenery.