"Upon the announcement of Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors, I felt somewhat like the leaders were becoming the followers, that poncle might be jumping on the deck-building bandwagon after successes like Slay the Spire and Balatro. Having now rolled credits on Vampire Crawlers, my fears are abated. This new entry brings a fresh spin on a well-worn formula, perfectly recreating the sense of wonder I felt starting the original."
BALL x PIT channels many familiar traits from other games. The block-busting gameplay of Breakout, the automated action of Vampire Survivors, and the constructive strategy of city builders. Where it succeeds is distilling these disparate elements down to their strongest, simplest elements and fusing them into an addictive rogue-like where it’s hard to resist just one more go.
Is frustration enjoyable? No, of course not. But, subjecting oneself to long stretches of frustration just for that fleeting satisfaction of overcoming a nightmarish obstacle? Now you’re talking my language.
Being a fan of AFL video games is a lot like supporting North Melbourne. You convince yourself that things are about to turn around. You latch on to bright spots and get excited about experienced talent returning to steer the ship. But in the end, you often have a miserable experience as you force yourself through each game. Thankfully, AFL 26 bucks this trend with solid gameplay bolstered by a variety of game modes, however there remains many areas for improvement.