Not all games are created equal. Most games are very dynamic and involved – saving the planet, defeating incoming foe and defending your village, or just solving a puzzle. Sometimes, all you need is a simple game that helps you forget your day or just keeps you busy while you are waiting. Those types of games don’t appeal to most games, but if you are looking for something simple and fun, A Balance the Ball is your answer.
When you first download this game, your first impression may be: “This is going to be so easy!”
Think again. At first, you will easily be able to keep the ball on the platform just fine. But as you play more, the app will throw a few bumps and roadblocks your way to keep things lively. You will see a line on the beam that the ball cannot cross, otherwise you lose that round. When you play a round, you get three waves that comes and shift your beam back and forth, rolling the ball left to right or right to left. You counter that movement by moving your device to keep the ball steady and prevent it from falling off the beam and from rolling past any lines.
That is basically how you play the game. The only changes that pop up are the challenge levels, and what types of waves come your way, how fast they occur and how strong. What makes the game enjoyable and something you want to go back to is the background music. It is upbeat and it keeps you tuned into your challenge. Remember, the waves may come fast and you have to move even faster to anticipate where you need to move the ball.
As you make your balancing adjustments and keep the ball on the beam with each passing wave, you add fuel to the rocket icon that sits at the bottom of the screen. When the fuel tank fills up, you get blasted up to the next challenge level. Most of the scenes and backgrounds tend to reflect something about outer space, but it would be nice to see something different.
The game tries to change things up by making the beam size different at times, and of course the music in the background changes out every so often. I was not sure about what the blue blocks were all about, but apparently they are somewhat of a powerup giving you more time and assistance.
The nature of the game itself is so simple, I can see it becoming a bore after you’ve completed a few levels of difficulty. It would be neat to see the music and sounds reflect different scenarios, like being on a mountaintop and skiing down – the beam could represent the skis and the ball is the person.
For now, A Balance the Ball packs enough of a punch to keep you focused and challenged, which fits the bill when you are trying to pass the time.