Pool of Madness review roundup: critics and players

Pool of Madness review coverage is positive: the press lines on Steam, Rogueliker's Next Fest write-up and two demo videos all speak well of it, and all of it covers demo, playtest or Next Fest builds rather than a released game. The Steam store page carries short press lines and the developer reports strong survey scores.

As of 2026-11-11, the official Steam page still lists Pool of Madness as coming soon, with Early Access planned for 13 November 2026. No Steam user reviews were visible on that page on the same date.

Critic quotes carried on Steam

These are the published reviewer lines the developer shows in the store page's Reviews section. Each is a snippet, not a full scored review.

The developer's own feedback figures

The Early Access section of the store page states that the game was tested before launch through QA tests, demos and public playtests, and that it "received very positively (over 1000 surveys with avg rating of 8.2/10)". Treat this as the developer's summary of its own player surveys rather than an independent score, and note that the survey group is playtesters, not buyers.

Rogueliker's Next Fest impressions

Mike Holmes wrote on 20 October 2026 that after a couple of hours with the Next Fest demo, Pool of Madness was proving one of his highlights of the event. He called the Lovecraft-themed pool roguelite one of the more original settings he had seen that week and praised its "impeccable" atmosphere. His one friction point was economy: he struggled to build it up at first and simply kept shooting until his turns ran out. He also reported that the demo ran fine on Steam Deck and that he had not tried the VR version.

Player video impressions

Two demo videos give first-hand accounts, and both land on the positive side.

1. Verdict: worth a play

   One review of the playtest build concludes that anyone who likes pool, cosmic horror or odd genre mashups should keep Pool of Madness on their radar. It describes chained-to-the-table ritual pool with limited turns, red balls draining sanity, skulls jamming pockets and cue parts collected from yellow balls, and says the chunky horror look works.

2. Verdict: a play, with a caveat

   A demo review frames the game as browser pool gone wrong on a cursed ship and says an hour passed without repetition. Its main criticism is that potting feels generous compared with stricter pool physics, which the author accepts as probably right given how many obstacles crowd the table. The author also wanted moving saw blades to appear earlier and did not test VR.

What no review covers

Neither video nor the Rogueliker piece assesses the full Early Access release, because it was not out when they were made. The press lines on Steam are tied to the demo. Impressions of the finished build, its price and its long-term roguelite balance remain unrecorded in the material available.

Next steps

• See what the game actually plays like in the builds these impressions describe on the Pool of Madness gameplay page.
• Watch the footage the reviewers were reacting to on the Pool of Madness trailer page.

FAQ

Is Pool of Madness review coverage positive?

Yes. The critic snippets on Steam, the Rogueliker write-up and both demo videos are favourable, with the main reservations being demo-build balance and horror intensity.

Does the Pool of Madness review on Steam include user scores?

No. As of 2026-11-11, the store page shows press quotes and the developer's survey average but no Steam user review score, because the game had not launched.

What is the main criticism in these Pool of Madness reviews?

The clearest one is that potting feels more forgiving than real pool physics, raised in a demo review. A Steam forum thread also asks for a less intense horror mode.

Is VR mentioned in reviews?

Yes, both video and Rogueliker note a VR version, but neither author played it, so no review here assesses VR.

Check note

This page draws on the official Steam store page for the press quotes, survey figures and release status, the Steam community hub for player posts, Rogueliker's Next Fest article and two YouTube demo reviews. The critic quotes are short snippets without full review context, and no impression of the finished Early Access build exists in this material.