The Ball

This is a game where it took me a while to decide if I liked or hated it.

If you look at the game description and it appeals to you, then it’s probably a game you will like. But be aware its more of a walking simulator instead of a puzzle game.

What drew me in most was the overall concept.

The idea of being an archeologist who accidentally stumbles upon an ancient, underground, uncontacted civilization and must return their most precious artifact to the depths of the earth appealed to me.

However the issues start almost immediately.

You have to take this giant metal ball with you deep into the fissure, using a portal-gun like device to either push or pull the ball.

The problem is this gigantic ball takes up the entire screen, so much of the time you’re stuck looking at the backside of a giant ball.

I eventually figured out to run backwards and use the pull feature to get the ball some momentum then turn 180* and walk normally and the ball will follow. That way you’re not stuck looking at the ball the whole time, but its still an annoying movement tech.

The Ball markets itself as a puzzle game but in reality its more of walking simulator with some slight puzzle elements thrown in.

Very few, if any, puzzles require critical thinking. It is more about maneuvering the ball around to activate switches.

Bizarrely the game implements enemies and combat mechanics a few levels in.

You don’t have any weapons, only the ball, so you have to figure out how to manipulate the ball in order to crush the bad guys to death or spring traps.

The manual says the enemies are mummies but they look like lizard men and gib when you run them over so who knows.

There are a handful of boss fights and they all felt wholly uninspired. The battles were more frustrating than fun and felt ham-fisted in. Again you have to figure out how to use the ball to manipulate environmental traps to damage the boss.

Eventually you reach your destination deep inside the earth and return the ball to its proper place. The ending was kind of cool but nothing special, if anything felt a bit anti-climactic.

Granted its an older game but the graphics and color palette were bad. Everything is a shade of brown, black or copper and is ugly to look at. The aesthetics fit I guess for cave spelunking but its not appealing to the eyes.

The Ball wont blow you away, but if you like the themes and exploration then its worth a play.

Buy it on sale, I bought it for $2 and got my money’s worth but if I had paid much more I would have felt like I got ripped off.

I've tought this would be a pretty bad game judging by the title but well that's the reason why you DONT judge a game by its title (mostly). The ball surprised me a lot, its a solid adventure game with puzzles that are actually quite easy to pick up on and are pretty satisfying. The story is eh...? fine i suppose?, its not too easy to understand and most of the lore pieces are in secrets wich some of are hidden darn well. The object that you will use in your adventures (the ball of course) is pretty intresting...i mean its a ball that has insane powers and well its your only tool that will keep you alive for most of the game so it is kinda strange to say the least...but very creative!. Belive it or not this title has combat (yes of course you use the huge deadly ball) there's no guns, no melee weapons and that's pretty great because you learn how to use environmental hazards agianst your enemies. What about the levels you might ask? well its...hard to explain, the maps are pretty big and open but linear wich is a problem because there are a few places in levels where it looks like you might go trough them but in reality an invisible wall blocks these paths. Altough The Ball has a few issues its a very unique experience you dont get punished by dying or simply doing something wrong and altough it has lots of action its one of these games that dont expect too much from you, wich is great!. The atmosphere and the gameplay are well executed altough the start of the game is rather bland and Unfortunately the best part of the game is at the ending levels wich is not that great, but still i think it deserves a 8.5/10.

fun fact - Pee is stored in the BALL
all jokes aside
5/10 its mostly walking to get to the next puzzle
+ 10$
+ one of a kind puzzles that you could only find in this game
- puzzles are all on the easy side
+ running monsters over with the ball
- no sprint
+ can make ball semi transparent in settings so you can kinda see through
- very few checkpoints and far apart
- no map
- story could be a lot better
+ 10$
- ball takes up 85% of the screen, no reason for it to be that big
- ball can be janky at times
- broken achievement, at least one. how do i not have the 1st achievement for finishing the first levels??? i finished all the other levels
+ can turn off gore

The Ball is an interesting game. Definitely recommended to everyone who is interested in puzzle and logic and to everyone who is interested to learn about the secret underground world that The Ball presents. There is an interesting lore explained by the secret heads to find hidden around the different levels. It was a pleasant surprise, I came here expecting that the game would have been filled with an interesting plot and jump-scares. I left this game with more patience towards very well designed puzzle games and confused about the ending.

Overall it's a nice experience. 6.5/10

Nice little game. The puzzles aren't the most challenging ones, compared to other genre companions. The battles are not as challenging compared to shooters. But the overall package was enjoyable for me, so I recommend it.

One of the most ok games I've ever played. It's a constant back-and-forth between nice setpieces, held back by invisible walls not letting you explore, or even get a good look at, those setpieces, interesting puzzle mechanics, held back by finnicky and unrewarding combat, and a story that completely went in one ear and out the other for me.
For every step forward this game takes, it takes exactly one step back. The most 5/10 game I've ever played.

Genuine hidden gem of a puzzle adventure. It's like portal, but instead of a portal gun, you have a ball, and instead of GLaDOS, there are monkeys.