Ball x Pit: Review (PC)
Summary: Arkanoid meets roguelite in the best of ways, Ball x Pit is a punishing, addictive, and an exceptionally well done title.
4.2
Ballin'
Kenny Sun: you are a goddamn genius
Ball x Pit is arguably the most original game I’ve played in years and this roguelite should come with a warning label on how addictive it is.
Ball x Pit is literally off the wall. Big explosion goes bang, leaving a bunch of would-be heroes in search of remaining treasure inside the pit which remains. Defeat hordes of baddies trying to get to the bottom of the screen and cause damage, use accumulated gold to construct a surface village to harvest stone, wheat and trees, respectively. Level up heroes, harvest, mine and grow your village even more. Ball x Pit stages also feature blueprints to acquire new buildings which unlock new abilities.
If this plot sounds semi-normal, execution is anything but ordinary. Our heroes attack via launching an array of balls at advancing opponents featured as singular or stacked shapes. Yup, roguelite Arkanoid. Additional balls can be upgraded via fission (randomized number of upgrades on current balls), fusion (marrying two ball types into a single combined effect), and evolution (evolving a ball type into its next iteration). There are literally several dozen combinations of ball types to experiment with.
Harvesting plays off this ball dynamic, as unlocks require a set number of character bounces to complete. What results is constant trial and error in whether to harvest goodies to upgrade existing or commit to bounces to unlock new options.
The good news? Every failed (there will be many) or completed level run (there will be few) gives another go at the harvest dynamic. The village can also be expanded via gold obtained in gameplay, yet another strategic item to consider. Village management likewise requires careful physical manipulation of items and forests, wheat fields, and stone areas to properly line them up based on ideal turn. Heroes harvest and bounce in angles, over a set timeframe. As you progress, unlocks will extend harvest time, opening completely new tactics throughout.
Ball x Pit heroes are all incredibly unique, nary one truly OP. Ball x Pit doesn’t punish for dying – in fact, rewards each with another harvest run. Each run also builds up individual character levels making subsequent runs easier. In tandem, upgrading village building components will strengthen all characters in little ways.
Hence the addictive part of Ball x Pit. Every run is literally a chance to go deeper into the game via a better percentage to defeat a stage, unlock something new in the village, or uncover a new blueprint. Two successful stage runs with any character will likewise open up a new pit stage, and the options exponentially increase.
There’s just so much done right with this game. Most importantly, it’s super easy to pick up. While very challenging, Ball x Pit doesn’t overcomplicate with an exceptional tutorial as an entry point. What should be an obtuse ball dynamic system truly isn’t as the game visually explains what they all do…including when an option isn’t best or cannot execute. The village requires some trial and error to get right but then becomes either a core tenet or afterthought depending on play preference. Cozy village builder types will adore this.
Additionally, I dig how Ball x Pit features an autofire option by default, also how character level ups default to match a character’s play-style. Much like Pokemon, you can go all in and level the bejeebuz out of a single character via endless trial and error or spread the love a mile wide and inch deep in trying to match the ideal hero: level.
Moreover, Ball x Pit does a stellar job of maintaining an omni-present sense of excitement. Levels are divided into three parts, with bosses ending each portion. Each part features timed waves keeping you on your toes, requiring endless scramble and desperate almost death saves to stay alive. Panic sets in as so many creep to the bottom for inevitable damage hits, hoping your power upped balls are sufficient to take out most to simply survive a few seconds more. This includes strategic enactment of fission, fusion or evolution to provide best bang for the buck. Related, bosses are so powerful that they die just before the bottom every time…or kill you. Those triple stacked bastards with forward facing shields don’t help your cause either.
Ball x Pit’s roguelite aspect means every run is unique, which increases the allure of yet another run. What seems like a great selection of ball abilities can fall flat on its face against a boss with perfect counter defense. Also, runs are short as just over ten minutes each, a perfect Steam Deck title (of which this reviewed on).
Presentation is where the warts are, if that bothers you. Roguelite’s are famous for pixel graphics and chip like audio, and Bullet x Pit is no different. Graphics are legible enough, menus clear, access easy. Audio is average, music and sound effects the same. None of this will blow you away. I would’ve appreciated a bit more pizzazz in these areas as so much of Ball x Pit is retrying the same. Along these lines, it can be hard to discern village elements on a smaller screen, thus non-portable peeps will have an easier go than I did.
Execution wise, some heroes are built better than others, more susceptible to boss attacks then they should. Logistically, every hero should be able to defeat every level with sound strategy, but not all heroes are created equal. I’m certain there will be some adjustments to this over time. No spoilers, but would-be great heroes are a bit useless in current build statu
Final Thoughts
As a rougelite diehard, Ball x Pit is one of the most original to date. Few in this genre so well reward and mercifully punish a run. Presentation leaves a bit to be desired, but it’s done so well you won’t even notice.
About the Author
Paul Stuart A gamer for over 30 years with 400+ reviews across four sites literally spanning the globe, Paul Stuart has an unhealthy obsession with Assassins Creed, God of War, and all things Lord of the Rings.
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