Our pal Torax Outlaw has kindly reviewed the indie game Kyball for us; here’s what he had to say.
I was recently asked to review this game by my good friends here at Full Sync, so here it is my first video game review. This was written after several hours of play time, many cups of coffee and a lot of written notes.
GAMEPLAY
What can I say about Kyball? Well, it is similar to puzzle bobble style games, but with several HUGE differences that make it stand out. For instance, the entire world is dying and it is your job to complete the levels to bring the world back to life. The creators then give the game a twist by making the level 3D, in other words, the cubed play area can be rotated in all directions. For you, as the player, this helps you to plan your next shot by getting the bubble in hard-to-reach areas.
You are then hit with another twist as the cubed play area gets smaller after every 8 shots, meaning you have to plan out everything in order to complete the level quickly without losing points for your cube shrinking. This makes the game very unique and helps it stand out from similar types of games. Each level is guaranteed to get you thinking by being both a bit of challenge and extremely intriguing.
GRAPHICS
All I can say in terms of graphics is they are gorgeous. Not too shabby and not ultra-spec like modern triple-A titles, somewhere in the middle, making them perfect for this genre. The sky box is what caught my eye first, the clouds looked fluffy and realistic like I was standing in my back garden looking up at the sky.
The characters are nicely done too and they fit well with each level they portray. What I mean by this, is that each character belongs in the various sets of levels along with the type of environment present. The level select screen is the big seller here, the planet is well designed and will rotate around for you to move on in the game and select your next set of levels.
AUDIO
The music provides a nice backdrop to Kyball, setting the tone for each set of levels. The only issue I pick fault with here is that each time you launch the ball and it hits the walls, it sounds like we are getting ready to duel with lightsabers, then when the balls drop we are clashing with the very same lightsabers.
The cube shrinkage is pleasant on the ears in stark contrast to the lightsabre battle. As for the characters, they sound exactly like their real-world counterparts. I got a thrill as well as a smile every time I heard the electric shock and fireworks signalling level completion, I had helped to save a small portion of this planet.
OVERALL Kyball Impressions
Overall you get exactly what you pay for, nothing more and nothing less. A very interesting game that will keep you hooked from start to finish. The price is just right for this indie title, which is a decent indie game wrapped up in a decently priced bow. Gameplay contributes highly to the games overall score for me due to the fact, that as I said previously, the levels are intriguing and challenging.
That’s what kept me playing Kyball and I intend to do a playthrough of this game for my channel once my other playthroughs are completed. Graphics were perfect enough for this indie title, the trees, ground and grass textures could be improved but as I said this is not a triple-A title, it does not need to be mega perfect. And audio-wise it was just the lightsabre effects that threw me slightly off but other than that the audio was spot on.
80%
If you’d like to find out more about Kyball and the team behind it, you can do so by visiting their website http://www.kyballgame.com/ or by checking out their Facebook Page or following them on Twitter. You can also find more of our reviews HERE.