One of the most beloved aspects of The Witcher 3 was undoubtedly the exclusive card game Gwent. So much so that we stopped hunting monsters, looking for Ciri, and we were franticly looking for cards on the map. You know, when we met Eredin, the leader of the Wild Hunt, we’d be like, “How about a round of gwent?”
Here’s damien monnier,the creator of this addictive game , also with a former colleague from the CDPR, Jose Teixeira, making a new game that is super fun, funny and also immersive: Bang-On Balls Chronicles.
Bang-On Balls is essentially a 3D platformer. Inspired by the internet cartoon series “Countryballs,” we’re in a universe of balls big and small, dressed in the colors of country flags, bouncing or rolling to their destinations.
We start the game in a movie studio. There’s a lot of balls around that talk and laugh with snitchy voices like in the Minions animation, mind your own business, and make you laugh. We can visit the studio and find hats, clothes and accessories hidden in the corner on the shore and change the look of our ball. Some of these accessories also allow us to solve some puzzles more easily.
We are moving into the real world of gaming through the televisions in the studio. Viking-occupied England, Feudal Japan, Space, Pirates and the Wild West are some of these sections. Since the game is in early access, for now we can only go to the England era. But even that map is so big, so full, that even though I played for four or five hours, there are still a lot of places I haven’t seen or gone. Underground holes, huge castles, mines, cemeteries, wine cellars. There’s no way I can put into words the size and fullness of the map. Under almost every stone there’s a shortcut to a new territory, a secret, a puzzle, a new accessory.
In Bang-On Balls, we fight by slamming into other balls, that is, by throwing chests. Some balls are smaller and die in two strokes. Some of them are huge and they’re a lot of work. There are zombie balls, for example. And then there are the bosses with different powers, who are the ones who push the hardest.
There are caged characters in the England section that need to be salvaged. When you save all of this, you open another secret and very strange chapter. There are also some film reels that can be collected. With these reels, we can open some locked doors and new chapters in the movie studio section at the beginning of the game.
The second map of the game, Space, will also be available to the cast next November, according to the producers. In this episode, which is supposed to be three times larger (ohannes!) than the map of England, we will be guests in the battle for space between America and Russia. In addition, of course, small updates and add-ons come to the game nonstop. For example, they put three arcade devices in the game. If we wish, we can play a football game, a car smashing section in Street Fighter and a very different version of Tetris. Adapted to the Bang-On Balls universe, of course…
If you want, it is also possible to play the game online, with 4 people at the same time. Some bosses can even be reached through doors that only two people can open. But these are purely optional wars; Not colliding with them doesn’t cost you anything under the one-man scenario.
In short, bang-on balls has been a very, very fun game despite being in early access and having a single map. I look forward to adding other sections. If they’re as full as the England section, we’re going to have a great platform game.
The game, which has been in Early Access since March 2021, can only be available on Steam for as much as $25.00
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