Finger Bowling 2
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| Finger Bowling 2

"You saved the Christ! We've saved some power-ups for you!"

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the above quote might appear in one of those church-endorsed religious edutainment games. You know the ones.

In fact, that quote is pulled from a bowling game. A very strange bowling game, granted, but a bowling game nonetheless.

What's more, once you come to terms with its cataclysmic plot, bizarre alien antagonist, and tourist trap locations, it's actually a rather enjoyable bowling game. Confused? You should be.

Spaceballs

Finger Bowling 2 is effectively one studio's attempt to fuse the narrative of a Roland Emmerich movie with the simple pleasure that comes from knocking things over with a heavy ball.

Choose to enter the game's Story mode and you'll be confronted with some preposterous blurb about an alien called Bowlafas, who's itching to destroy the Seven Wonders of the World (including - you guessed it - Brazil's Christ the Redeemer).

Luckily for these astonishing feats of human engineering, you're on-hand to put the kibosh on this wacky extra terrestrial's destructive plans, one pin at a time.

Wait: what?

Rock 'n' roll

The bowling mechanics themselves are pretty standard: position your ball, set the power, then tap 'left' and 'right' after releasing it to control aftertouch.

Things liven up considerably when obstacles and power-ups begin to appear. In addition to the game demanding ever more impressive scores, Bowlafas pops up occasionally to hamper your efforts, blasting holes in your lane and throwing rocks in your path.

Luckily for you, power-ups also materialise from time to time. Steer your ball towards them and you'll find yourself with a stockpile of highly entertaining party tricks, ranging from exploding balls to pin-shattering rockets.

Though the visuals are far from spectacular, and the concept is plain weird, Finger Bowling 2's engaging controls and barmy sci-fi trappings make it a surprisingly enjoyable - if somewhat surreal - interpretation of the sport.

Finger Bowling 2

Finger Bowling 2 is an oddball offering in every conceivable way, yet its solid mechanics and unpolished charm are a strangely effective combination
Score
James Gilmour
James Gilmour
James pivoted to video so hard that he permanently damaged his spine, which now doubles as a Cronenbergian mic stand. If the pictures are moving, he's the one to blame.