Switchball

Last updated
Switchball
Switchballcover.jpg
Developer(s) Atomic Elbow
Publisher(s) Vivendi Games [lower-alpha 1]
Platform(s) Windows, Xbox 360 (XBLA), PlayStation 3 (PSN)
Release
  • Windows
  • June 26, 2007
  • Xbox 360
  • November 7, 2007
  • PlayStation 3
  • September 17, 2009
Genre(s) Puzzle
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Switchball is a 3D action-puzzle game, made by the Swedish developer Atomic Elbow, which was released for Microsoft Windows on June 26, 2007, on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360 on November 7, and on PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 on September 17, 2009. [1] A HD version of the game was released on Steam on May 17, 2021.

Contents

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot Switchball.jpg
Gameplay screenshot

The game puts the player in the role of a ball, which is guided through various courses suspended in mid-air in five different environments: Skyworld, Iceworld, Caveworld, Cloudworld and Lavaworld, each one having six courses.

Each course contains multiple puzzles for the player to solve. The ball is used to push around objects, activate switches, among other things. Using PhysX as its core physics engine, the game features many physics-based puzzles. Obstacles, traps, and other objects are common throughout the game. Some common objects include boxes, switches, fans, cannons, magnets, and rails.

The ball can be morphed into four different forms, each one having unique traits. The Marble Ball is the default ball that every level starts with, and it has no special traits. The Steel Ball can push heavy objects around. The Air Ball can be inflated in order to float for a short period of time. Lastly, The Power Ball can be charged to have one of three abilities: a dash ability, a jump ability, or a magnetism ability. Each ball reacts to the environment in different ways; For example, Steel Balls will tear cloth platforms and be drawn to magnets, while Air Balls are very easily blown by fans and can be popped by nails.

Each level is timed, and players are rewarded with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, depending on how quickly they complete the level. A scoreboard is available for each level, displaying the top seven players who completed the stage the fastest.

Development

Originally called Crazy Ball, the game won "Best PC Game" during the 2005 Swedish Game Awards and was a finalist in the "Technical Excellence Class" during the 2006 Independent Games Festival. Crazy Ball was developed in five months. [2]

The gameplay is similar to Atari's 2004 game Ballance , but features worlds instead of levels.

Reception

GamesRadar awarded the PC version of Switchball 8 out of 10, praising the AGEIA physics engine, commenting that "the rolling and bumping and knocking and flinging are all exquisitely well done. And physics, the best thing to happen to games since explosive barrels, has a way of making you care". [6] Team Xbox awarded the Xbox 360 version a 9.4 of 10 and called Switchball as one of the best puzzle games for Xbox Live Arcade. [10] IGN commended the AGEIA physics engine, calling it a major star of Switchball. [7]

CVG criticized the difficulty of the later level puzzles in its review of the PC version: "It doesn't run out of brains, but in later chapters it does succumb to that misguided urge to crank up the pressure. This goes badly. Switchball is a thoughtful puzzle game, but neither its camera nor controls are up to the dexterity-driven tasks it sets here". [3]

Xbox Live Arcade re-release

Switchball was re-released on March 26, 2008 on Xbox Live Arcade with a patch that enhanced graphics and tweaked the scoring. [11]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Released under the Sierra Online brand name.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion</i> 2006 video game

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is an open-world action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios, and co-published by Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games. It is the fourth installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following 2002's The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in 2006, followed by PlayStation 3 in 2007. Taking place within the fictional province of Cyrodiil, the game's main story focuses on the player character's efforts to thwart a fanatical cult known as the Mythic Dawn that plans to open portal gates to a demonic realm known as Oblivion.

<i>Plotting</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Plotting is a tile-matching puzzle video game published by Taito in 1989. It is called Flipull in Japan as well as in versions for the Famicom and Game Boy. As Plotting it was ported to the Atari ST, Amiga, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, GX4000, and ZX Spectrum. The game bears strong graphical and some gameplay similarities to Puzznic.

<i>Kollon</i> 2003 video game

Kollon (ころん) is a 2003 Arcade puzzle game developed by MagicPot and published by CyberFront. Kollon was later ported to the PlayStation Portable as a launch title in 2004.

<i>Feeding Frenzy</i> (video game) Arcade style video game

Feeding Frenzy is a single-player mode and arcade-style aquatic video game written by Sprout Games, and published by PopCap Games. With an initial debut on February 11, 2004, it saw a re-release on the Xbox Live Arcade service, with versions for both the original Xbox and the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 version, released on March 15, 2006, was the 17th most popular Xbox Live Arcade title for 2006.

<i>Xiaolin Showdown</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Xiaolin Showdown is a beat 'em up and fighting video game based on the animated television series of the same name. It was released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox on November 14, 2006, in North America and in Europe on June 29, 2007. The game was later ported over to the Nintendo DS on November 28, 2006, in North America and in Europe in February 2007. Players are able to play as the Xiaolin Apprentices. The game can be played with up to four players locally.

<i>Eets</i> 2006 video game

Eets is a 2D puzzle video game developed by Klei Entertainment and released on March 27, 2006 for Microsoft Windows. It was later released for Mac OS X on December 9, 2010. Both the Windows and Macintosh versions of the game are distributed digitally via Steam. On April 25, 2007 the game was released for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade under the title Eets: Chowdown. Eets is a puzzle game with similarities to Lemmings where players must guide a character through an on-screen puzzle.

<i>Assault Heroes</i> 2006 video game

Assault Heroes is an arcade-style, top-down shooter video game developed by Wanako Games. The game has the player driving 4x4 vehicles, piloting speedboats, or proceeding on foot against enemy hordes. Players can play alone or co-operatively, including both online and offline 2-player co-operative modes.

<i>Cake Mania</i> Multi-platform time management video game

Cake Mania is a cooking time management video game developed and published by Sandlot Games in 2006. Some ports of Cake Mania have different titles; the Wii version is known as Cake Mania: In the Mix!, and the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions are titled Cake Mania: Bakers Challenge. Cake Mania received mixed reviews from critics, with some reviewers praising the game's 'addictive' and 'simple' casual gameplay, while others criticized this as being 'repetitive' and 'shallow'.

<i>The Orange Box</i> Video game compilation by Valve

The Orange Box is a video game compilation containing five games developed and published by Valve. Two of the games included, Half-Life 2 and its first stand-alone expansion, Episode One; had previously been released as separate products. Three new games were also included in the compilation: the second stand-alone expansion, Half-Life 2: Episode Two; the puzzle game Portal; and Team Fortress 2, the multiplayer game sequel to Team Fortress Classic. Valve also released a soundtrack containing music from the games within the compilation. A separate product entitled The Black Box was planned, which would have included only the new games, but was later canceled.

<i>Roogoo</i> 2008 video game

Roogoo is a downloadable puzzle video game for the Xbox Live Arcade and Microsoft Windows developed by American studio SpiderMonk Entertainment and published by SouthPeak Games. The game is followed by Roogoo Twisted Towers (Wii) and Roogoo Attack.

<i>N+</i> 2008 video game

N+ is the console and handheld version of the Adobe Flash game N, which was developed by Metanet Software. N+ for Xbox Live Arcade was developed by Slick Entertainment and published by Metanet Software. Unique versions of the game were also ported separately to the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS by developers SilverBirch Studios and Atari. Metanet Software licensed their N IP for this deal, provided single player level design for both versions, and consulted on the project.

<i>Call of Duty: World at War</i> 2008 video game

Call of Duty: World at War is a 2008 first-person shooter game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It is the fifth main installment of the Call of Duty series and is the fourth entry in the series to be set during World War II. The game was announced by Activision in June 2008 and was released in November 2008, for PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360, and Wii. Other games under the World at War title were published for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2, featuring different storylines and missions.

<i>Marble Blast</i> 2002 video game

Marble Blast is a 2002 3D platform game. It was pre-installed on some Apple Inc. computers like the iMac, iBook, and Mac mini. It is also available for Windows operating systems as well as various Linux distributions.

<i>Quantum Conundrum</i> 2012 puzzle-platform video game

Quantum Conundrum is a puzzle-platform game developed by Airtight Games and published by Square Enix. It was directed by Portal lead designer Kim Swift. The game was released for Microsoft Windows via Steam in June 2012, and for PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network, and Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade in July 2012.

<i>Dirt: Showdown</i> 2012 video game

Dirt: Showdown is an arcade racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Linux. It was released on 25 May 2012 in Europe and on 12 June in North America. The OS X version was released on 4 September 2014 in North America. The game was released for Linux on 17 August 2015. The game was also released on Xbox 360 for free as part of Microsoft's Games with Gold promotion from January 1 to 15 January 2016.

<i>The Splatters</i> 2012 video game

The Splatters is a physics based puzzle video game for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade. It was developed by Israeli studio SpikySnail Games and published by Microsoft Studios. The Splatters was released on April 11, 2012. A PC port was released in 2013 titled Super Splatters. The Splatters was originally going to be called "Confetti Carnival", however the name was changed prior to release. The game received positive to mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Magrunner: Dark Pulse</i> 2013 video game

Magrunner: Dark Pulse is a puzzle game developed by Frogwares. It was released as a downloadable title on Microsoft Windows on 20 June 2013, PlayStation Network on 23 October 2013, and Xbox Live Arcade on 25 October 2013. Magrunner: Dark Pulse is set in a cyberpunk reimagining of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.

<i>Star Wars: Pit Droids</i> 1999 video game

Star Wars: Pit Droids is an educational puzzle game developed and published by Lucas Learning. It was originally released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh on September 13, 1999. It was later ported to iOS and released on February 9, 2012. The game develops skills such as hypothesis testing and geometry.

References

  1. ↑ "Sony Online Entertainment Gets the Ball Rolling With Switchball for the PlayStation Network". Sony Online Entertainment. 2009-09-18. Retrieved 2009-10-02.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "2006 IGF Competition Entrants - Crazy Ball". Independent Games Festival. CMP Media. Archived from the original on January 11, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. 1 2 Francis, Tom. "Switchball". CVG . Future Publishing. Archived from the original on September 21, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ↑ Bowden, Mike (November 18, 2007). "Switchball". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017.
  5. ↑ Navarro, Alex. "Switchball Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. 1 2 Francis, Tom (October 16, 2007). "Switchball review". GamesRadar . Future US. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. 1 2 Ahearn, Nate. "Switchball Review". IGN . IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 10, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ↑ Price, Tom (December 2007). "Switchball". Official Xbox Magazine US . No. 78. Future US. p. 73. ISSN   1534-7850.
  9. ↑ "Store Roundup: Switchball". Play . No. 191. Imagine Publishing. May 2010. p. 93. ISSN   1747-7859.
  10. 1 2 Tuttle, Will (November 2, 2007). "Switchball Review (Xbox 360)". TeamXbox . IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 5, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ↑ Ransom-Wiley, James (March 24, 2008). "This Wednesday: TiQal blazes XBLA, Switchball re-released". Joystiq . Weblogs. Archived from the original on March 25, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.