The adventures of a small ball — what could be so great about that?
Everything.
Switchball is a game that needs not a storyline, nor characters, nor a plot to be great.
Gameplay is simple. Use a little ball to roll around the levels, completing puzzles by moving boxes around to make paths to the end of the level. Sometimes you’ll be a heavier ball to push heavier boxes, or a lighter ball to cross sensitive bridges. That’s about it.
There are also some 40 objects to interact with including wooden blocks, sheets of cloth, spinning fans and magnets to make things more interesting.
The single player mode is six worlds each composed of six levels each. Some levels take 2-3 minutes at maximum, while some take about 45 minutes to an hour. The puzzles will have you slamming your controller in frustration at times, but beating a level feels like such an accomplishment. making this game so addictive that you won’t want to stop playing until you beat it.
The elevator-like music is pretty annoying, but it’s really the only downfall to this game. While you’re focusing so hard on your next move, the music doesn’t seem to matter.
The graphics are … cute? It’s a 3D game, with different environments in each world. There is the ice world, the lava world, the sky world, all of which reflect in the environment of the game. — very impressive graphics for an Xbox Live arcade game.
Overall, the simple, downloadable Switchball is more addictive than some of the 360’s most prestigious high-budget titles.
Switchball is available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft points. There is also a PC version of Switchball. Click here to download the demo!
Quick hits:
Publisher: Sierra Online
Developer: Atomic Elbow
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1-2
Launch Date: November 7, 2007
Playability: [rating:4.5]
Learning Curve: [rating:5/5]
Sound: [rating:4/5]
Graphics: [rating:4.5]
Overall: [rating:4.5]
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