Sometimes you just want to do nothing more than to embrace the simplicity. That’s the case in Ball laB, the latest marble madness roller to launch on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch.
Created by Viktor Yurchuk, before coming under the Ratalaika Games and Eastasiasoft stables, Ball laB will have you rolling and bouncing your way through a series of ever-increasingly tough levels, with the sole goal of navigating to the end and getting the hell outta there.
It’s priced at £4.19 and takes gaming back to the very basics; the levels themselves are simple affairs, punctuated by the thrills of spikes, pitfalls and more. The art style complements this though – greyscale and pixeled. Some may find that an instant turnoff, but for us a little longer in the tooth, it’s just a case of being able to drag up some decent memories.
So anyways, this ball. It’s that which you control, with a hop, skip and jump being just about enough for you to clear any obstacle and hazard and make your way to the next devious test of your gaming skills. With 60 levels in place, the main question will focus on exactly how many attempts it’ll take you to complete what Ball laB has to offer.
We’ll be sure to drop you some review thoughts in the coming days, but if you wish to pick up a download of Ball laB for yourself, head to the Xbox Store for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S goodness – and yes, this one is fully next-gen optimised. You’ll find it on the storefronts of PlayStation and Nintendo Switch too.
Game Description:
Roll and bounce through tough-but-fair platforming stages in minimalistic retro style! Stripping away modern complexities to return to a simpler, more challenging style of gaming, Ball laB is a straightforward precision platformer presented in minimalistic greyscale pixel art graphics. Each puzzling stage fills a single screen, with the objective being to get from one end of the level to another without falling victim to spikes, pitfalls or other hazards. You play as a ball. You can roll along flat surfaces, bounce to ledges, hop onto platforms or ride elevators to reach your goal. If you hit a hazard, you’ll instantly respawn at the beginning of the stage, adding to your death counter with each attempt. How many tries will it take for you to clear all 60 challenges?
