This era of mash-up genres in gaming is something I’m enjoying a lot. The idea of “fusing” two or more different genres to create a new experience is such a joy to see. Sure, it doesn’t always work out. But when it does, it can absorb your attention for extended periods. The latest one of these is BALL X PIT. For the most part, this one delivers on a fun and addictive experience
Filling the screen with balls
BALL X PIT mashes classics like Breakout and Space Invaders with the Shoot’em Up genre. Then a bit of city management is also included in the mix. For the unfamiliar, Breakout is a game where you have a paddle and must hit blocks with a ball. The goal there is to try to figure out ways to get your balls to hit blocks to clear the screen and level. Space Invaders is all about shooting alien foes that move towards the bottom of the screen.
Here, you’re taking elements from both games. Instead of aliens, you’re fighting monsters moving down the screen. And instead of one ball, you can have dozens of balls at your disposal. But you’re still aiming to hit as many targets with your balls as possible.
Every playable character has their own primary ball. As you progress through a run, you will unlock extra balls and upgrade your existing ones. Special balls do the most damage, but you’ll also have to rely on perks and your ‘baby balls’ to help you along the way.
Offense, Defense, and Chaos
All while you’re shooting your balls at these foes, you’re also trying to evade their attacks. Not only do they attack you if they get to the bottom of the screen, but they also fire their own weapons at you. In some stages, they might be tossing bombs where you stand. Or, they could be firing missiles and lasers in your direction. This is where the Shump gameplay similarities come into play.
The characters you unlock and use on each stage have a level-up system. They are pretty weak to start, so you have to hope for the best. It can only take 5-6 hits before you die, so expect a run to only last a few minutes without a lot of progression. But leveling up and replaying stages is part of the experience. It’s also the best way to unlock more content, including perks and new ball types.
There are three parts to every stage. There are two mini-bosses before reaching the stage’s final boss. In all the stages I’ve unlocked so far, the real challenge is getting to the final boss. If you have enough health at that point, you should be able to complete the stage. Boss characters have obvious patterns to their attacks, and there is enough time to dodge.
A city builder thrown into the mix
To unlock stages, you need to complete previous stages. When you complete a stage, you earn a gear. Early on, the next stage only needs two gears. But, as you progress, the later stages need at least four. So, you have to beat stages at least 2-4 times with that many characters to progress. To unlock characters, you need to find blueprints. You collect these at random, and you use them to create buildings for your settlement.
The settlement is part of the game within a game. When you’re not fighting foes, you’re managing a settlement. Your settlement unlocks most of the game’s extra content. Buildings unlock new characters, but they also increase stats and grant other perks. Plus, you’re also collecting resources such as lumber and wheat. You use those resources to pay for the buildings you want to build on your settlement.
This aspect of the game is necessary. You can’t unlock extra characters or gain more perks without it. But, this aspect of the game is only fun if you’re spending the time to micromanage things.
Early on, you’re only given a few seconds for your available units to harvest. So, you’re only going to manage to do one or two things within the 8-10 seconds available. Yes, some buildings grant you more time, and there are ways to maximize your harvest run. But you do need to spend a lot of time moving things around. You can only harvest once per turn, so you will have to play the main stages many times to see any progress.
So Much Customization
What I loved the most about BALL X PIT was the randomization and customization available to you. As you play a run, your character is leveling up by collecting gems. When you reach a level-up screen, you’re given the option between different balls to either level up or to unlock. Or, you’re given the option to select and/or level up different passive traits. Special Balls and Traits can go up to Level 3. Each improvement is a significant upgrade.
But it goes even deeper with the balls. After a ball reaches Level 3, there is a chance to either fuse or evolve it. What this means is that you can take two Level 3 balls to create a more powerful new ball. Imagine fusing a spike ball with a laser ball to create a spike ball that shoots lasers. That’s one example, but there are so many combination types. Not every ball is compatible, so you need to focus on trying to pick the best ball types.
At the same time, fusing or evolving happens at random. These can only happen when you collect a specific item on the battlefield. Plus, you need to have balls that are capable of changing. On the flip side of that, there are so many variations. From what I can tell, there are a lot of different ball evolutions that I have yet to unlock. Plus, it’s possible to take two fused balls to create a third fusion. I can’t tell if you can go even further than that, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
Even a ton of character variation.
But the creativity doesn’t end there. There are a lot of characters to unlock. I still have about three or four that I haven’t ‘found’ yet. As I mentioned earlier, each character has their own starting ball and other unique perks.
One character you unlock shoots their balls from the top of the screen. There is another that selects their upgrades for you when they level up. It doesn’t end there. About halfway through the game, you unlock the ability to play stages with two characters. This allows you to combine two characters’ perks into some interesting results.
I was having a blast experimenting with the different characters. Some characters work well together, but there are also a few that the game won’t let you combine. I found this interesting, but not sure why there are restrictions. Deciding which character to pick first also seems to factor into a run, so you should be mindful of that. With over 12 characters to unlock, it’s fun to experiment with different combos.
Another game to the addictive pile
BALL X PIT is yet another game that consumed me. I can’t believe that in about a week with the game, I put in so many hours. Stages are quick, most taking no more than 12 minutes to complete. So, you can do four or five runs in an hour. Sure, the next addictive mashup is right around the corner. But, for now, this one is what I’ll be playing until then.
