Software:Ballance (video game)

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Ballance
Developer(s)Cyparade
Publisher(s)Atari Europe, Ziggurat Interactive
Designer(s)Klaus Riech
Composer(s)Mona Mur
EngineVirtools
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows Steam
Release
  • EU: April 2, 2004
  • NA: October 25, 2006
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Ballance is a 3D puzzle video game for Microsoft Windows. It was developed by German studio Cyparade, published by Atari Europe and first released in Europe on 2 April 2004. On 5 January 2024, it was re-released on Steam, this time published by Ziggurat Interactive. The gameplay is similar to Marble Madness: the player controls a ball via mouse and keyboard, moving it along a course while trying not to fall off the screen.

Gameplay

Screenshot from level 6

In the game, the player can change the ball's material with special transformers throughout the game's 13 levels (12 levels originally; another downloadable level, level 13 "Speed", is available on the developer's homepage). It can be transformed into a wood, stone, or paper ball.[1]

The wooden ball is very stable and can be used for several puzzles in the game. The player initially launches into and leaves all levels with a wooden ball.

The stone ball is extremely heavy, and can be accidentally rolled off an edge very easily, but this ball can easily push down boxes and bridges. Furthermore, rolling a stone ball through a bridge made of planks will make the bridge collapse.

The paper ball is very light. Its surface is not smooth, unlike the wooden and stone balls, and so its movement is slightly variable. A paper ball can be blown into the air by ventilators and can roll up steep hills easily.

Two power-ups are available.[1] If the ball rolls into them they provide either an extra ball or extra points. Checkpoints are scattered evenly across levels so that if a player falls off the course they only have to restart 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. The side-rail is introduced in level 3. 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 the center of the mono-rail, which composed of only one rail.

An additional level 13 called "Speed" and located in Twilight Zone was available for free on the developer's homepage a few months after the release of the game.

Reception

"Ballance" was met with positive reviews from critics upon release. An Adrenaline Vault review by Bob Mandel described the game's graphics as "heavenly", particularly admiring the "exquisite detail".[1] Mandel thought the sounds were "absolutely outstanding", enjoyed the music and thought the gameplay was exciting and intense.[1]

In the late 2010s, the game achieved renewed popularity among users of Bilibili. Concurrently, several studios in China published and marketed copies of the program under different names, including Ballance: The Return.

In 2024, the game was re-released on Steam by Ziggurat Interactive. The re-release received praise for allowing users to re-play this old title otherwise lost to time, but also received some criticism for not containing widescreen resolution support, or the thirteenth level DLC.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mandel, Bob (28 June 2004). "Ballance PC review". Adrenaline Vault. NewWorld.com, Inc. http://www.avault.com/reviews/pc/ballance-pc-review. Retrieved 16 February 2010. 
  2. ↑ "Steam Community :: Robo :: Review for Ballance" (in en). https://steamcommunity.com/id/robospy1/recommended/2000770/. 
MobyGames
Logo since March 2014
Screenshot
Frontpage as of April 2012
Type of site
Gaming
Available inEnglish
OwnerAtari SA
Websitemobygames.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedJanuary 30, 1999; 26 years ago (1999-01-30)
Current statusOnline

MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] The site is supported by banner ads and a small number of people paying to become patrons.[2] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It is currently owned by Atari SA.

Content

The database began with games for IBM PC compatibles. After two years, consoles such as the PlayStation, were added. Older console systems were added later. Support for arcade video games was added in January 2014 and mainframe computer games in June 2017.[3]

Edits and submissions go through a leisurely verification process by volunteer "approvers". The approval process can range from immediate (minutes) to gradual (days or months).[4] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copyediting.[5]

Registered users can rate and review any video game. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own subforum.

History

Logo used until March 11, 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999 by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, then joined by David Berk 18 months later, three friends since high school.[6] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience.

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[7] This was announced to the community post factum and a few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.

On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San-Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[8] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel.[9]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[10] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[11][12]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ "MobyGames Stats". https://www.mobygames.com/moby_stats. 
  2. ↑ "MobyGames Patrons". http://www.mobygames.com/info/patrons. 
  3. ↑ "New(ish!) on MobyGames – the Mainframe platform.". Blue Flame Labs. 18 June 2017. http://www.mobygames.com/forums/dga,2/dgb,3/dgm,237200/. 
  4. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  5. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/32856/Report_MobyGames_Acquired_By_GameFly_Media.php. 
  8. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  9. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/207882/Game_dev_database_MobyGames_getting_some_TLC_under_new_owner.php. 
  10. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  11. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site’s Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  12. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 




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