This post is going to attempt to de-construct a Studio 1 classmates game, Ball Ball. Like Slot Charmer, Ball Ball had the brief “status effects = victory!”, as so I’m going to see how well it worked with that brief.

 

What the Game is

At it’s heart, Ball Ball is a puzzle platformer crossed with Angry Birds. You control a ball through levels by pulling back on the ball and slingshotting it across the level to the end.

Gameplay

Ball Ball quickly introduces you to the concept of changing the ball by colliding with objects in the level. It starts you off by hitting a row of 4 circles with downward pointing arrows on them. Hitting them results in the ball getting smaller, and so you can roll under the tight squeeze to get to the end of the level.

Ball Ball does a great job of introducing a mechanic to the player and getting them to learn the mechanic. The screenshot above is introducing the ‘reverse gravity’ status effect. Making it necessary to complete the level leaves no ambiguity in terms of its necessity, and the player will certainly learn how it functions.

Ball Ball also teaches the player about momentum and how other object impact it. Hitting any of these explosives will propel you across the map, forcing you to either avoid them, or place your shots well to your advantage.

The final status effect is a “sticky” effect, that makes your ball stick to whatever surface you manage to hit.

Again, the game forces you to utilise the assets given before completing the level. While it’s technically possible to complete the level in one shot, it’s difficult, and encourages utilise the assets given to you.

Unfortunately the game ends here, in all likelihood due to time constraints. It would have been good to see mechanics more fleshed out in relation to other mechanics so that the player has to utilise the new introduced mechanic in new and interesting ways. I would love to see levels showcasing both reversed gravity and sticky status effects.

 

Conclusion

Personally, I feel that Ball Ball is the strongest game out of the current games in out cohort, both mechanically and in terms of design. It also uses status effects in an interesting way that helps propel the design forward. Ball Ball shows great potential for potential expansion and fleshing out.

 

You can download Ball Ball here