The Ball for download $9.99

genre
download size
avg. user rating
release date
compatible with
languages
developer / publisher
game modes

action / fpp / puzzle
856 MB
1Mbit
~19 min
from 69 user ratings.add yours
October 26, 2010
Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8)
English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish.
Teotl Studios / Tripwire Interactive
single-player

Bonus content included for FREE with purchase:
manual
2 wallpapers
3 avatars
56 artworks
46 concept art

click on a thumbnail to enlarge the screenshot

What's cool about it:

Eight huge levels to explore, and a bonus Survival game mode with 4 additional levels.
Original, yet intuitive interface.
Beautiful underworld constructed in Epic’s Unreal™ Engine 3.

Overview:

As a swashbuckling archaeologist working on the slopes of a dormant volcano somewhere in Mexico, you get stuck in a cavern and accidentally reveal ancient ruins that have been hidden from outsiders for centuries. There you discover a mysterious artifact, a gold and iron-shelled Ball. Venturing deeper into the underground, you encounter not just puzzles and traps, but also strange, malicious creatures that are guarding the secrets buried within the volcano. You’ll need to uncover the secrets of the Ball and learn to control it in order to survive and escape the underworld with some of mankind’s greatest secrets.

The Ball is a first person action-adventure game that will have you solve puzzles while bowling against a bewildering barrage of beasts. It features a full single-player experience built on Epic’s Unreal™ Engine 3 technology.

Age requirements: ESRB Rating: MATURE with Blood and Gore, Violence. PEGI Rating: 18+ with Violence.

Minimum system requirements: Windows XP / Windows Vista / Windows 7, 2.0 GHz Processor, 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended), SM3 Compatible video card (GF6800 minimum - GF8800 or higher recommended), 1.5 GB HDD, Mouse, Keyboard.

All user reviews:

User reviews:

Fun, for a couple afternoons.

Posted on 2012-08-07 14:21:49 by Snargelfargen's avatar Snargelfargen:

So the comparisons to Portal are inevitable, but The Ball definitely stands on it's own. A lot of detail and attention has been put into the piston.. gun... thing that is used to manipulate the ball. The ball itself does a fantastic job of conveying it's weight and momentum too. Watching it crush a flock of monsters is visceral and fun to watch. So the gameplay is fun, and the graphicsread more are detailed and very good looking. Unfortunately the game drags on a bit longer than it should, and the story, told through lush, hieroglyph loading screens simply isn't very interesting. Adding combat was a cool idea, but it gets tedious after a while. There are only so many ways you can crush something with a giant ball. Combine that with puzzles that never get very difficult and the game's length (6 hours, and I took my time) is hard to justify.
All in all it makes for some fun afternoons of play, but I can't recommend it as anything other than a mediocre example of a relatively new and exciting genre. It gets tedious after several hours, and the 10$ price point is too high considering how short the game is.

Was this helpful?(55 of 59 people found this helpful)

Something is just off.

Posted on 2012-08-15 02:22:37 by Vanillanowah's avatar Vanillanowah:

First of all, I LOVE puzzle games. I'm a huge fan of them, everyday I'm puzzlin', and stuff. When I heard about this game, it sounded awesome, so I bought it and downloaded it and was really anxious to play it, but something is just off about it. I can't really place my finger on it, but the game just doesn't work (And I don't mean that literally, I had no problems running the game).read more I really wish it did, and reading other reviews I wonder if it might just be because the Unreal Engine isn't meant for this type of thing, but I really don't know since UE3 has been used for a ton of different genres. The game isn't really that much fun, it's really pretty though, and I guess it's original, at least. But it's just missing that factor that makes Portal or Q.U.B.E. fun, because frankly, The Ball isn't. I was frustrated a lot of the time since I'd know the way to solve the puzzle, but the stupid ball wouldn't move the way I wanted to and was hard to manipulate, which really ruined the game. I'd pass on this one if I were you, especially at an expensive $10 (I bought it in a Indie Bundle, can't remember which one, so I don't feel ripped off, but if I had bought it for 9.99 or more I would've been ticked). Even if you're a pretty patient guy like me, you shouldn't tolerate poor game design.

Was this helpful?(29 of 33 people found this helpful)

Motion sickness

Posted on 2012-11-22 04:58:55 by nomemory's avatar nomemory:

I am pretty OK with playing shooters, but when it comes with this one, I felt dizzy and it made me puke after a 2 hours of gameplay.
The game is not a problem (it's quite fun), there's somehow a problem with the engine, it's making me feel bad.

Was this helpful?(1 of 3 people found this helpful)

Be the first to review this game!

See all user reviews (8)