Switchball, made by Swedish developer Atomic Elbow, was originally released on PC and Xbox Live Arcade in late 2007; now the PlayStation Network port has arrived bringing with it all the highs and lows of its counterparts. A puzzle platformer, Switchball takes a fresh approach to the standard 'get the ball from point A to B' puzzler by introducing multiple types of balls, each with their own pros and cons. Fans of the genre should definitely take a look at Switchball as it offers a fairly long, fully featured single player as well as online competitive and cooperative modes which give the game staying power. On the other hand, the game's camera can be a bit frustrating, which steadily gets worse as the game progresses and the puzzles get more complex.
TGH Writes:
"I’ve never been a big fan of puzzle games (No, not Tomb Raider). Traditional games like Bejeweled and, yes I’m sorry, Tetris have never really grabbed my attention for more than five minutes; but when it comes to games like Mercury (PSP) I did become interested. There’s something about being a round object and rolling around a linear puzzle course which appeals to me, whether that be the implementation of the playable object and how it interacts with its puzzles, or the variety of puzzles that can be attempted in each level. So when I heard Switchball was released on PSN I was very curious."
Zath:
I did find myself enjoying Switchball and it can get quite addictive. But of course with addiction comes frustration, so don't be surprised if you keep screaming at your TV. I suppose that's a good thing as once you've completed a level you feel like you've achieved something instead of just strolling through it all. If you like a good old puzzle game that will keep you occupied on rainy days, then I'd recommend getting Switchball.
SquareGo writes "Switchball follows in the footsteps of the great Marble Madness. Guide your ball through a variety of obstacles to reach the finish point. That game and its predecessors are loosely based on childhood toys where you sent balls through different puzzles by titling the box to control the ball movement. It's a very simple premise and it works with the virtual world allowing the game to extend "beyond the box"."
