Puz: Goof Ball [by Evertt]

Game Review: Goof Ball
Release: January 10, 2003
Genre: Action/Puzzle
Developer: Evertt
System Requirements: PII 500MHz and 64MB RAM (Minimum), TNT Class DirectX® Compatible Graphics Accelerator (Minimum), DirectX® 8.1 (Or Higher)
Price: US $11.95

Is it just a coincidence that my brother and I had been talking about our old gameboard Labyrinth' on the very day that I was asked to review Goof Ball? Maybe, but you never can know for certain. All conspiracy theories aside however, the link between Labyrinth and Goof Ball is very real.
 

Goof Ball, a fun game by Jeff Evertt is about 70% puzzle game and about 30% action, the two of which combine to become one very fun series of games. Goof Ball is best described as a series of games with one thing in common: balls. The game at its most basic is built on two things a very clean looking 3d terrain engine and some very impressive ball physics. Using these tools the developer has been able to build 7 different game types for the player to choose from. These types include one that mimics the old mechanical Labyrinth gameboards (classic game mode) and 2 others (balance and advanced balance, which is harder) that play like the familiar classic mode but updated for the computer with abilities like jumping and maneuvering around lakes and other less mazelike levels. The other game modes include: Kill Ball, in which the player receives a variety of weapons and power-ups in order to kill other similarly armed balls in a vicious onslaught reminiscent of more action oriented games, Maze ball, in which the player maneuvers his ball around a trap filled maze while trying to make it to the end before his timer runs out, Squish ball, wherein the player attempts to run down and jump on other less aggressive balls, and finally Defender ball, which has the player placing a limited number of wall segments in order to save stickmen attempting to cross downhill of a flood of giant balls.

All in all this variety serves to give the game a heck of a lot of variety, given its simple components. Each game type has between 5-9 different levels with a total of over 50, which will provide hours of ball-playing fun. In the three more classic game modes the player controls the game environment itself, tilting it this way and that in order to manipulate the ball(s) just like with the gameboards of old. While with the more complicated modes the player controls the ball (except defender where you just place walls). Controls are very uncomplicated; for the most part using the cursor keys and the control key to 'bump' the board up, effectively making all the balls and other game pieces jump up.

I found the game was very enjoyable, with a very challenging difficulty level (which can be set to hard or easy if you find it askew one way or the other) and very nice graphics. The only gripe I have with the game is the lack of any sort of border wall along the outside of the puzzle game modes, this makes it very possible for you to roll right off the board from the very beginning or even roll past the victory 'X' to your death and to start all over again. I found the Kill Ball mode very welcome because its action intensive nature helped keep away any frustration from trying to beat the more difficult levels of advanced balance mode to no avail. Also the maze mode which starts out with a top-down camera soon zooms in to a level that makes it feel very much as if you were running through a maze which really helped give it to an 'action' feel.

Graphics: 8/10
The game ran perfectly on my system and the game used different effects in a superb way, such as the mirroring on the walls in Kill Ball mode. The 3d terrain engine looked very nice. Overall the graphics accomplished what they had to and added enough effects to keep it lively, such as the water in some levels.

Sound: 5/10
The sound for Goof Ball was not its strong point, not because of its quality but because of its lack of any music whatsoever. The sound effects on the other hand are very nice and have a good variety.

Options: 10/10
Besides offering difficulty, graphics, cheat, and gameplay options the game also offers 7 different play modes! If this isn't a wealth of options then I don't know what is.

Gameplay: 8/10
The gameplay is very fun and varied the only thing I would ask for as far as gameplay is a few more levels on some of the play types such as Kill ball, by offering 7 different game types the depth of each selection suffers a little.

Concept: 7/10
While the concept itself is pretty basic, the variety of different implementations is to be commended. In particular the mix of puzzle and action gameplay elements in the game gives it its own originality.

Fun: 8/10
The game is definitely fun. The fun will only last so long however, given the limited number of levels for some of the game types. The lifespan of the game could have been prolonged if the Kill ball had been made multiplayer, though the game certainly doesn't scream for it.

Overall: 8/10
Goof Ball is a very fun game that provides something for everyone. Anyone looking for a fun challenge of a different, yet familiar sort would be wise to pick up Goof Ball. The games tremendous variety and visual appeal easily overshadow the lack of music (which one can provide himself through mp3s in the background) and a few peculiar design decisions/oversights. I definitely look forward to seeing more games by

Added: September 27th 2003
Reviewer: Joe Macias
Score:
Related Link: Official Website
Hits: 3944
Language: english