Pool Shark

Pool Shark is a roguelike deckbuilder based on 8-ball pool. Each rack is a scoring run in which the player pots balls, chains combos and stacks multipliers, with every table played for money that is carried through six rooms of increasing stakes. The game uses a deterministic physics simulation in which spin, banks, kisses and caroms all affect play, and the aim hint is driven by the same simulation as the table itself. There is also a story framing: the player’s best friend owes $12,500 to the wrong people, due before closing time.

Between matches, players draft from a catalogue of 204 cards. These include 90 Tells that change how shots are scored, Chalk that is spent for a single shot, Marks that attach to one ball and Cues that alter what a break can do. The order in which cards are drafted forms part of the strategy. Called shots such as banks, combos and called pockets multiply the winnings. A single run consists of eighteen tables across six rooms, with eighteen opponents who each have their own aim, nerve and temper. House Tables introduce restrictions such as closed side pockets, banned rails or having to call the 8-ball.

The game offers four difficulty tiers, twenty House Rules that modify play and four different endings. Seventy unlockable items are available, including masks, titles, cues, gloves, trails, cloths and stamps, all earned through play rather than purchased. An online ranked 1v1 mode runs on a live referee server with six divisions, seasons and a ladder. The developer states there are no ads, in-app purchases or microtransactions.