The Kinect game market has been a pretty lonely place that has consisted of mostly dancing and fitness games. Boom Ball offers something different though with it being described as a mix of “tennis, breakout and gratuitous explosions.” It is certainly different but is it any good?
Gameplay: 8 out of 10 “Modern But Retro”
This game takes me back to playing a game a simple retro game in which you bounced a ball and broke bricks using the ball and could earn power ups. Boom Ball has taken this concept and ran with it keeping the classic style but throwing a whole lot of modern on top using the power of the Kinect on Xbox One.
Its easy to play once you get used to the dimensions of the game when batting the ball back, using your hands the player must hit the ball like tennis without the racket and use the ball to destroy all the blocks while trying to not let the ball get passed you.
Boom Ball also includes some power ups that can be collected using the ball. These power up aren’t anything original but that’s completely fine. Multi-Ball, enlarging the ball, making the ball heavier and more. After writing the power up’s down it doesn’t make the game sound very alluring but each one serves a purpose and used right can help complete the levels quicker, which is the main aim of the game.
I played Boom Ball for over 2 hours in my first session, its that addictive, its so easy to play and the gaming experience is delightful. This is one that would be a great game for a younger one and It certainly works up a sweat.
Multi-Ball!!
Graphics: 8.5 out of 10 “Bricking it Gorgeous”
This game has been beautifully made and while the design of the game is quite simple and more cartoony the results are fantastic, the bricks are bright and colourful, some even have faces that have changing expressions, changing to a horrified face when the ball comes near them. The levels are all themed with a range of locations in forests, in deserts, under the sea and more. Each level has been beautifully crafted with 55 in total and every one is unique using the different themes and designs. Not only are the levels unique but each looks great, the colours and lighting are notably impressive.
I think in-game the game looks great, I was a little let down by the menu, it could have been a bit better but that’s a tiny complaint in what is a gorgeous game.
Under water Level
Sound and Music: 8 out of 10 “Music to your ears”
So the game is built on having different kinds of bricks too with some made out of stone and some made of metal and the sounds when the ball hit them are great. All the sounds in-game are good, the ball ricocheting around the level bouncing off different materials is superb.
What could have gone wrong and what usually goes wrong with games like these are the developer gets lazy and chucks the one song across all 55 levels. Thank goodness Virtual Air Guitar Company are not one of those lazy developers! Each theme seems to have a different tune and surprisingly they are quite catch with the Egyptian music being a personal favourite. The thing about a simple game like this is getting the small things right is hugely important and Im pleased to say the sound effects and music were done just right.
Performance: 7.5 out of 10 “Tracking Issue”
The aim of the game is to stop the ball getting passed you using your two hands. Your hands are tracked by the Kinect and shown on screen. It takes a bit of getting used to and depth perception is off at times when playing but after a while I found it got easier. The Kinect seemed to pick everything up fine until trying to hit the ball with my left hand. Now I might have a really wonky left hand but hitting the ball when stationary was very difficult for me, most of the time It would hit the ball the wrong way from which I was aiming. It wasn’t an issue because the ball is rarely stationary unless using balls to explode the bricks a the end of a game or when restarting after the ball sneaks passed you but it is something that always seemed to be an issue.
What is great is when you do get the ball under control and hit it the way you want it seems to get the spin and trajectory of the ball pretty spot on in my opinion. I actually didn’t expect it to perform as well as it did so it was a pleasant surprise.
Now at times you will come across levels that are wider than your TV screen which means moving to the left or right will scroll to these sides of the level. I never really got used to this and found it quite off putting especially at how fast it would scroll to the side, almost giving the feeling of motion sickness. Okay it might not have been to that extreme but it was very unsettling.
Overall: 7.2 out of 10 “Highscore, Lowscore”
This is one of my favourite Kinect games, this is an arcade game using motion control to operate it and its just fantastic. The scoring at the end of a level comes in the form of silver or gold and a star rating based on your time to complete the level, go really slow and you won’t even get silver. Scores and times are important because to keep this style of game interesting it must make you want to better your score. What it could do better is present the score better and have a high score to compare your friends scores. It isn’t bad the way it is but it could be improved.
Facial Expressions on Bricks
Final Score: 7.8 out of 10 (See what this means here)
As Kinect games go, there isn’t a lot. Boom Ball is not only something different from what is out there currently, it looks and sounds better than most. It plays well and operates well with Kinect when tracking hands to stop the ball from getting passed, while a few issues seem to creep in (unless I really do have a wonky left hand) but really this game is addictive and should be your next Kinect game for only $9.99/£7.99/€7.99.The Games simplicity means anyone can get up and play, but I can see this being popular with more younger gamers.
Xplore Gaming 