Bankshot!

Bankshot! is a pool game built around traditional 8-ball rules and physics based on a real-sized table. You travel through a branching venue, choose a route and play racks against distinct opponents. Each run gives you a limited number of shots: legal pockets let you continue, but running out of shots before clearing the table ends the run.

Pool physics

Spin affects the cue ball and object balls: draw pulls the cue ball back, follow carries it forward, and side spin changes its path and sends object balls away from their expected lines. You plan shots, choose pockets and call the rail when attempting a bank. Correct calls reward confidence for each rail, pocket and ball called correctly; a missed call gives your opponent the advantage. As the 8 ball comes into play, you have to earn the finish.

Tables have different properties, and you discover the table in each room before the break. Some run faster, have different rail responses or make positioning easier; others demand greater precision. You adapt your strategy to the table rather than choosing it.

Shape each run

Cues, items and charms change how you play, while hazards can force you to adjust your strategy. The game has over 200 items and charms, and you can build around them or complete runs without them. The Shift adds changes to a run, and an ever-expanding branching map includes racks, shops, discoveries and optional stops.

After completing a run, you unlock The Hustle, where risk and reward become the focus. Taking risks can earn increasing rewards as the difficulty rises; your goal is to make Marks. The physics stay the same, but you and your opponents play differently. The Tab is a permanent progression system that unlocks mechanics, events, stops, cues and manufacturer groups with their own modifier bonuses.

Game modes

At the start of a run, you can choose options that alter the ruleset. Changing these rules does not affect progression. The available modes include:

• Standard: play runs as designed, with or without items and charms.
• Casual: learn the systems in more forgiving runs, with reduced rewards and a smaller item pool.
• Practice: learn on tables based on the sizes you have unlocked, with a cue and custom-shot setup tools.
• Old School: play traditional pool without roguelike elements, facing more than 40 custom-tuned opponents in sequence until you win or lose the run.
• Hardcore: play with one life and one chance.

Learn and review

New players can learn the fundamentals in their first rack, consult the Rule Book for the rules used in the game, and work through 14 Technique lessons on real shots. The lessons explain where to hit the cue ball, how much power to use and how each shot works. Practice mode also provides a growing library of techniques to learn.

You can replay entire runs with in-game playback, review the previous shot, and save clips to view later in the collection menu. The game includes accessibility options for fonts and resizing across its interface.

Opponents and progression

The game features more than 40 opponents with distinct personalities, habits and playstyles. Multiple progression systems include cues, items and charms, each changing how you approach the table. The Shift adds another layer of variety by introducing additional changes to runs.