BALL x PIT
- Hubert Spala
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
I knew BALL x PIT was going to be special from the moment I played the demo back in the day. It had everything - gorgeous aesthetics, a banger soundtrack, and energetic gameplay that effortlessly blends a few genres in a polished way. But, as often happens, it wasn't until I got my hands on the final product that I could confirm whether the impressions the demo left on me would last. And what can I say... 36 hours into the game I got my 100% completion on STEAM. That alone should tell you something. It was, after all, a hit I was hoping it would turn out to be!
But why? What makes BALL x PIT stand out from the crowd? It is, after all, a roguelike. And, if you would like to believe so many other reviews, a Survivor-like as well. So a game made on the most oversaturated core gameplay loop framework. And in a genre that has like ten new games dropping every week. It's not a hard thing to imagine that it takes a spark of genius to stand out from such a thick throng of competitors. Like a shiny pearl in the muck, it tantalises and transfixes with polished ideas on every corner. I could now wax lyrical here explaining the mechanics like a back-of-the-box blurb. Maybe sprinkle in some high-energy words. Tell you about how groovy and shagadelic the game is! But instead, let me tell you about an experience I had when playing this game.
The first few runs I was struggling a bit. Not enough to let the frustration get over the fun, oh no. But it was not easy to be sure. My brain isn't made for maths, especially geometry. So, aiming my balls at the right angles to boost their damage doesn’t come easily to me. Add to that the variety of special balls and passives I was fumbling around with, and the missions were putting me through the wringer. I still felt a sense of wondrous joy whenever I got to interact with the systems. Each new Evolution was a discovery. Each new Fusion option was testing my ability to find interactions that would click. And that was the moment, that 'Eureka!' bit that elevated the gameplay for me.
After getting accustomed to the system, my brain finally started creating neural pathways towards greatness. What if... what if I fuse Laser Ball with Bleed? Scoooore! Now I am putting bleed on every enemy tickled by the laser. And then, what if I fuse mighty Flicker - a ball that constantly does low dmg to every single enemy on the screen - with Frostfire? Oh boy. That was it. I often write in my reviews for Roguelikes that every good rogue needs to allow players to get broken. Absolutely busted, bestowed godlike powers. BALL x PIT has those moments too. With that single fusion, a tough run became a trifle, an automatic win where I no longer had to do anything. Suddenly, every enemy on all rows and columns was melting away without me having to even touch them. Nice.
That's the great power of this simple system. When you look into the game compendium, you might be surprised by how relatively sparse it is. You won't find hundreds of various Balls here or an endless variety of items. In fact, for a roguelike with such high praise and tauted as one of the best released this year, this one has a pretty ah... curated number of tools to play with. But that is the clever deception of BALL x PIT, because the ingenious and simple Fusion system makes sure you actually have like a thousand balls to play with (this is not a double entendre!). Because you can fuse nigh any ball to any other. Even evolved balls. There are hardly any limitations here. And once that clicks, your eyes are opened to the frankly outrageous vista of possibilities. Nuke that splits into multiples. Mosquito swarm that each has a fiery area of effect. A freezing ball travels through enemies and then adheres to the back wall, continuing to bounce off them indefinitely. The world is your ball-shaped oyster!
But as delightful as this core system is, it is only one ace up the game's sleeve. It has plenty more of them to keep the game full of hilarity and enjoyment. First, the biomes. Each stage isn't just a recolour with a new, superbly made music track to keep the energy bouncy and flowing. Every level has its own gimmick. Unique enemies with different nasty powers, different traps on the ground, changing mechanics to keep you on your toes. The first time I tackled the Heavenly stage and those goddamn angels snatched my balls to keep them hostage, I grumbled aloud, "This is such bullshit!" with a heartfelt tingle of someone who loves it, even if in the moment I would like to strangle whoever made that enemy. I am looking at you, Kenny!
And then, there are the unlockable characters. It would be so, so easy to make them a slight shift in stats and call it a day. You know the drill. This one is focused on high damage, this one is speedy. The other fella maybe has more baby balls. Job's a good'un. But no, that would be something a LESSER game does. No shortcuts for BALL x PIT, sir or madam! Here, every character changes the gameplay. In some of them, pretty fundamentally, too. Shade lets you toss your balls from the top. Cohabitants split your balls in two, giving you two lanes of attack. Tactician turns it into a turn-based game while Radical allows you to make it into an idle game. Yeah, you're reading this right - don't have time to grind? Want some resources or work put towards achievements while you work or do chores? Put the burden of gameplay onto your automated character and have fun not having fun! It's an option.
And even that is not the end of the game, manifold systems. You have a pretty robust base-building in there too, where you need to bounce your ever-growing crowd of characters from construction to raise them up. This is your meta-progression, where each structure unlocks additional, often beefy bonuses to ensure steady growth in player power. But worry not! Once you unlock everything and your characters are overpowered, a New Game+ awaits. Complete the base levels to face the challenge again! And give you both a reason and an outlet to play with every tool at your disposal. So you can theorycraft your builds, enjoy your wackier plans and interactions, and just make sure your fun will end only once you have had your fill.
Damn, this review is getting long, but I think you get the gist. BALL x PIT is a robust offering, to put it mildly. It's thick with options, packed to the brim with new discoveries, and the core gameplay loop of bashing your balls against the descending hordes of blocky enemies never gets old. There is a surprising depth of strategy here, too. Every run will be a little different, picking up your passives to fill in your build gaps or deciding on your path of fusions and evolutions to fit your character's main power well.
I would be remiss if I didn't talk, at least briefly, about the game audiovisuals. First, the sounds - they are an absolute masterclass. Amos Roddy is the brains behind the soundtrack, and I can only heap layers of praise on it. You know you've cooked something special when music from the LIMINAL x DESERT stage keeps playing in my head, even when I am not playing the game. I lie in my bed, trying to sleep, but the music keeps rolling in my grey matter. But that's not all - each sound is also delightfully crafted. Crunchy, tactile, kinetic. Bouncing balls, different effects for a variety of statuses. And my personal favourite - the chant of the enemies when they form a massive block of units marching down towards your impending doom! Then there are the visuals. Crispy and fun, always well coded with colours and shapes. The enemies are my favs - each orc, beast, dragon, angel or such tightly lean over their little pawn pedestal. It's a clever way to design them as proper blocks for breaking. This choice adds charm and personality. Also, it helps players see which block is dangerous and needs to be dealt with first.
BALL x PIT is a triumph. It's a roguelike, survivor-like experience hall of excellence that shows extremes of tight design and clever choices. Grinding is enjoyable and relatively quick. Each new unlock feels impactful and fun. Those precious moments of finding out something clever and mighty happen often, and when you manage to create a deadly build to sweep the stage clear, it feels ecstatic and is never an outcome of pure luck. You always feel in control of what is going on, and that sense of agency is the driving force behind the game's sheer fun. If you're a fan of roguelikes, this should be on your Must Have list. As for me? BALL x PIT joins the ranks of the games that I'll have to consider for my personal Game of the Year award - it is THAT good.
