1996 Banpresto
Oh, this needs a remake.
Bang Bang Ball is a physics-based puzzler that puts you in the middle of the action as a vulnerable bob (player-controlled sprite, the avatar that represents your actions in the game world – why doesn't anyone use this term anymore? I kinda feel like a dusty old academic). As in most puzzle games, a chain of several like-coloured balls must be connected in order to eliminate them from play. These balls are constantly drifting around, so you can move your bob (in this case, a skateboarding mouse) around freely inside the play area in order to attack from various angles by shooting balls at the cluster.
Sounds interesting enough already, but herein lies the rub – if a ball hits your mouse from any angle other than head-on, your mouse will take damage. If it hits the ball that your mouse is carrying, it'll bounce off. It's kinda like playing a cross between Asteroids and Puzzle Bobble, as hard as that might be to imagine.
It's a very interesting game mechanic, and although Banpresto have pulled it off quite well for the sort of game they wanted to create, I can't help but think that this mechanic should be revisited and explored further, perhaps by the elimination of level-based play.
In a two-player game, play is ostensibly co-operative. However, when you realise that your partner's mouse can be injured by your own balls, play quickly becomes score-based competitive. This is something that should be addressed when this game gets remade. Yes, when, not if.
If there are any Flash programmers reading this review, then yes, I am talking to you. I may do some experimentation with this gameplay mechanic for one of my own projects – this game would work well in a cocktail cabinet...
Anyway, presentation uses pre-rendered 3d models turned into sprites, so looks horribly dated. Other than that, it's very hard to say whether I like this game. It has potential, and Banpresto pretty seamlessly made the game they wanted to make, but the game that they wanted to make isn't as good as the game they could have made using this play system. I can play through the levels, with their rich and interesting design ideas including traps and extra rebound targets, and appreciate them – but I still feel like there shouldn't be multiple levels at all.
A mixed bag from Banpresto, but a promising one, and one that should be studied by modern designers.
Retro Reviews
http://www.retroreviews.net/article.php/bang_bang_ball