Ballance is a 3D

3D computer graphics

3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...

 puzzle

Computer puzzle game

Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion....

 computer game for Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

. It was developed by Cyparade, published by Atari

Atari

Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...

 and first released in Europe on 2 April 2004. The gameplay is similar to Marble Madness

Marble Madness

Marble Madness is an arcade video game designed by Mark Cerny, and published by Atari Games in 1984. It is a platform game in which the player must guide an onscreen marble through six courses, populated with obstacles and enemies, within a time limit. The player controls the marble by using a...

: The player controls a ball via mouse and keyboard that they must move along a course without falling off the screen.

Gameplay

In the game, the player can change the ball's material with special changers throughout the game's 12 levels. It can be transformed to a wood, rock, or paper ball. The wooden ball is very stable and can be used for several puzzles in the game. It is the very first ball, used in the easy levels. The rock ball is extremely heavy, and can be accidentally rolled off an edge very easily, but this ball can easily push down boxes and bridges. Rolling a rock ball through a bridge made of planks will make the bridge collapse and usually cause loss of one life. The paper ball is very light. Its surface is not smooth, unlike the wood and rock ball, and can be a bit rough at first. A paper ball can be blown into the air by fans and can roll up steep hills easily.

Two power-ups are available. If the ball rolls into them they provide an extra ball or extra time. Checkpoints are scattered evenly across levels so that if a player falls off the course they only have to re-start the game from the last checkpoint reached.

There are 12 different levels. As the player navigates the ball along a path each become more difficult than the last. On occasion, the player has to push other balls down holes or onto rails to continue rolling along the path. Each level requires the player to complete physical challenges, which often have more than one puzzle to solve to them. The side-rail is introduced in level three. The player's ball needs to roll on its side along two rails which are aligned vertically one above the other. In level 12, the player's ball has to balance on only the center of one rail.

Reception

An Adrenaline Vault review by Bob Mandel described the game's graphics as "heavenly", particularly admiring the "exquisite detail". Mandel thought the sounds were "absolutely outstanding", enjoyed the music and thought the gameplay was exciting and intense.

External links

• Cyparade
• Ballance Developer Homepage – From web.archive.org
  Internet Archive
  The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
  
  
• Ballance at Atari.com