Plot: What’s it about?
Back in the Sega Genesis days, one of my favorite games was Marble Madness. The game was simple enough, just roll a ball along a path and reach the goals of each level. Of course, that sounds simple, but in practice, Marble Madness took a lot of skill and patience. I had Marble Madness in mind when I sat down with Switchball, which is natural since both games involve a ball that must be navigated through various courses. I downloaded Switchball and figured I would spend fifteen minutes to get a feel for it, then come back to it later for a longer session. Those fifteen minutes turned into over an hour, as once I started to play Switchball, the time just melted. There is no story or complex orientation period, Switchball is, as the cliche goes, easy to pick up, but difficult to truly master.
The first few levels are rather basic, to get you used to the mechanics of the ball and some of the game’s puzzle elements, some more complex than others. Your ball can transform at various morph stations, which is crucial to complete some objectives. After all, the heavy metal ball can’t roll across the cloth bridges, while the normal ball is too light to move heavy blocks and boxes, so on and so forth. You’ll have to use these special abilities often and while you might have to take a few seconds to put the pieces in line, the flow of the game remains smooth. As you roll, you can zoom in or out to your liking and rotate the angles, so as to give yourself the best possible perspective. The game can be a challenge, but never frustrating and just when you think you’re out, you’ll find a solution or alternate path. Switchball is a welcome return to focus on the game itself, as the focus is on gameplay here, though the visuals are quite nice also. I had a blast with Switchball and X-Box Live Arcade users who are after a good challenge shouldn’t miss this, as Switchball is highly recommended.
Video: How does it look?
The visuals here might not rival the full scale epics out there, but the game looks excellent. I did notice a few instances of skipping during fast movement rolls, but even these were minor. The bright visuals shine here, with rich colors and accurate contrast, so all of the game’s details are visible. I played this on a 65″ screen and it looked terrific, a crisp and clean image throughout. So while the visuals here can be a bit basic, the graphics still hold up and are well presented.
Audio: How does it sound?
I found the audio here to be effective, but it won’t bowl anyone over. The music is clear and pleasant, so it never becomes an irritant and that is good news. As far as the sound effects, what is present sounds great, but there isn’t a whole lot to discuss. The sounds are creative and fun to listen though, so positive marks all around.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Switchball offers both single player mode and multi-player options, such special co-operative tracks and head to head race modes, in case you want to play with friends.
