Retro arcade titles have definitely found a niche in the App Store, and Blast Ball is the newest addition to the genre. The game is reminiscent of Super Crate Box and Muffin Knight, but takes away the shooting, and gives you a ball and some goals. The game is all about scoring as many goals as you can, and you get to knock in soccer, basket, and foot balls into the net. You can score on either side, and there’s a constant supply of enemies raining down from above.
The stadiums are set-up just like Super Create Box with three platforms, and enemies running along those platforms until they reach the net. You can score on either net, and you can also knock the ball into any enemy to destroy them. There’s also a bomb at your disposal, and the action increases as you score goals. There are plenty of unlockables including giant balls, more bombs, and two new stadiums to play in. The vector art graphics are superb, and so is the bit bumping soundtrack.
Blast Ball freshens the existing formula with the ball kicking action, but still suffers from the same problems. The gameplay really blends together from stadium to stadium, and even goal to goal. There’s also not much leeway with one touch death, and there just isn’t much incentive to keep playing after a few minutes. The game is enjoyable for a quick blast, but the game style wears thin very quickly, even for an iOS game. Still though, all of the unlockable balls and Game Center achievements will keep you playing for a little bit.
Blast Ball ($0.99, Universal) is nicely designed, but there just isn’t much to it. The entire game feels like a basic mini-game with a great design and fresh idea, but still is just a mini-game. Blast Ball is one worth considering, because there are some aspects to really like, but not enough to recommend. The app does work with iCade though, and that makes any game better.
