BALL x PIT is out now and it's a brick-breaking ball-smashing great time

BALL x PIT from Kenny Sun / Devolver Digital is out now and it's Steam Deck Verified plus it works to perfection on Desktop Linux PCs (Proton 9 tested). Note: a key was provided to GamingOnLinux.

Taking a healthy dose of inspiration from all the survivor-likes that have appeared since Vampire Survivors, BALL x PIT takes the basic idea of brick-breaking from the likes of Arkanoid and Breakout and turns it into something truly absorbing of your time. Day will turn to night as you play through this one, it really is something else. But it's more than just that, since it throws in its own little version of town-building into the mixture as well. It's like the developer threw some bouncing sticky balls at a wall full of ideas and said yep - I'll take it all.

What's the story here then? In the brief intro, we're told that the great city has been annihilated by some massive big shiny ball in the sky. What's left is nothing but a deep dark pit. So naturally, you and others decide to venture down into the pit for resources, lost treasures and to fight the rising hordes of monsters.

The basic setup is that you're fighting through a scrolling arena where you're constantly walking up, while the enemy blocks are constantly shuffling down towards you. You're armed though, with a great many balls. These balls can be powered up as you go through a run as you acquire experience orbs from downed enemies to level up, to give you all sorts of fancy effects which can be pretty over the top at times. Magnificent to watch though and just totally zone out with it as your balls tear through all the blocks.

Your balls can be fired manually, or automatically, but either way you're involved — you have to actually aim. You also do need to be constantly on the move in all directions to avoid enemy fire as well. If the enemies get to too close to you or reach the bottom, it's time to say goodbye to your health. If you find it challenging you can slow it down, but you can also speed it up too. It's nice to have options.

It's not just enemies and enemy fire you're running around to dodge for, as you'll also want to catch those balls. If you miss you have to wait until they bounce to the end of the screen and back to you. But, if you catch them, you can throw them again. You can also unlock certain upgrades for your run based on actually catching those special powered balls too, there's quite a lot to think about.

The release trailer is below:

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What makes it really exciting is seeing all the ball combinations. There's a fusion system which helpfully keeps your rather limited inventory from getting overloaded, where you combine two upgraded balls into one. This is where things start to get a bit wild, because you can make some utterly ludicrous weapons with it. Like one ball that fires a horizontal laser across an entire row when it hits, and also makes them all bleed. Pair that up with a ghost ball that you can fire through a bunch of enemies, that also fires a laser vertically — and it becomes a constant laser death show.

Oh you thought that was it? Wrong. You can also evolve upgraded fused balls into something even more powerful.

There's more still as there's also a number of different characters to unlock to play as. Each of them comes with their own different play-style and starter ball for you to experiment with. This is part of where the grind is though, to unlock more of them by going through each level (which you also have to grind a bit to unlock) to reach certain stages where you can then build some more in your little town to access more characters. All buildings requiring various amounts of different resources you can find during a run, or gather in-between runs but it's a bit slow going on that.

Add to that that each character will individually level up as you play more rounds with them too, there so many features blended into this package to keep you wanting more. It really wants you to play not just one, or two but many more rounds before you finally go to bed.

The result of the mechanics is that it's quite challenging as you progress through it due to the different enemies, their layout and weapons they can fire at you, and the fact that you're constantly moving. Add to that the boss fights as well, which can be ridiculously brutal, especially if your balls aren't the best at fighting that particular boss. This is where I think it fails a bit, because it feels a bit like you're forced into using certain builds. Like the first boss, it can only really be damaged from a hit to the back of it. I had a run where I just could barely touch it at all - it felt like a waste, apart from all the resources I had gathered.

Aside from that one gripe where there's a chance I'm just not quite getting the trick to some of the bosses with the ball bouncing, it's brilliant.

Game Highlights:

• Fuse Your Balls: combine over 60 randomised balls to create chaotic, overpowered synergies.
• Build New Ballbylon: construct over 70 unique structures to power up, unlock heroes, and expand your empire.
• Explore New Realms: battle through deserts, caverns, and forests teeming with bizarre foes and massive bosses.
• Recruit Fellow Hunters: team up with treasure-seeking heroes that change the way you play.

BALL x PIT is a truly unique blend of many things that will keep you captive for hours. Easy to get into and an easy recommendation to anyone who loves a fresh spin on a classic with a blend of new ideas.