![]() ![]() All in all, Hamsterball is a great value and a lot of fun to play. There are even some party games in the latest version. The Time Trial mode has a limited ghost feature, which is great if you’re anal enough to whittle your times down below the developers’. ![]() The game has a very demoscene-like quality to it, which is due in large part to the excellent soundtrack by Skaven (of Future Crew). The art is somewhat minimal, but very consistently themed. Hamsterball packs a lot of production punch. ( Hamsterball Game Screenshots) Solid Production There isn’t a lot of room for failure in the gameplay of Hamsterball, and I no longer have the tenacious game-playing focus of my youth. It’s obviously just a matter of taste, but I prefer the softer, more puzzle-oriented gameplay of titles like Switchball. Any shortcuts in the level must essentially be placed there by the designer (for an example of some truly insane player-discovered shortcuts check out this video of a flawless run through the original Super Monkey Ball). This cuts down on the possibility for drastic shortcuts. Compared to other rolling games with a focus on accurate player movement, like Super Monkey Ball, you can only fall a short distance and survive. Hamsterball is very faithful to Marble Madness in this regard. One aspect of the game’s design that bugs me is the lack of open-endedness. This really improved my play experience by allowing sharper speed changes. After failing miserably at some of the uphill sections I actually started playing with both the keyboard and mouse at the same time. It’s particularly difficult to move uphill with the mouse. On the other hand, the game can be something of a frustration generator at times. ![]() On one hand, the high difficulty of the game magnifies your sense of accomplishment when you do manage a really good run through a level. It impedes this goal by requiring very controlled movement, which cuts both ways. Hamsterball has a very specific focus on racing the game is all about how quickly you can get to the goal. The actual feel of your ball is pretty sharp overall, though. There doesn’t seem to be a general-purpose physics engine behind the scenes, unfortunately, as the number of other dynamic physics objects is very limited. Many of the early levels are fairly static, but the later levels provide a lot of creative challenges (the Odd Race level with variable gravity directions will truly bend your mind). Hamsterball does a great job with level design. ![]()
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