Ballance (2024)
Review
Nostalgic, But Not Revamped
by Camrin Santchi
reviewed on PC
Getting the Ball Rolling
Originally released in 2004, Ballance was a 3D puzzle game released for Windows that involved rolling a ball of varying materials through multiple stages that require precise movement as well as planning ahead. Twenty years later, the game is rereleased on Steam, but how does it hold up two decades after the original release?
Not the Best Start
Upon starting the game, immediately there are several issues. The most obvious of these is that the game forces itself open heavily unoptimized, namely fullscreen at 680 x 480 aspect ratio, leading to several graphical issues that need to be adjusted in the options in order to make the game playable.
Unfortunately for those heading into the settings to make said adjustments, this will lead to another of the issues with Ballance - that the game boots as default in German, no matter the language settings. This is easily enough resolved by booting the App Configuration Tool when starting the game rather than the game itself, but it unfortunately makes it feel like you've received a bootleg rather than a proper release of a game.
Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss
Once Ballance is actually in a playable state due to adjusting the settings and language, the game is actually quite solid for its age. The controls are decent, the levels are long, and provide a good chance for gamers to get used to how to control their ball. The game contains a time bonus that is constantly ticking down, encouraging players to try and collect bonuses around the stage. This allows for a fascinating choice - whether players want to take the time to collect the bonuses and potentially risk losing more time than they gained, or if they want to try and rush progress through the level in order to maintain the remaining time bonus that they have already accumulated.
A definite bonus for Ballance, besides the simple controls and the sheer nostalgia factor, is that the game is being sold on Steam for $5.99 USD, the cheap price making it a fairly easy pickup for players that are either looking for something small or that are actually fans of puzzle games. These, combined with the nostalgia factor of picking up a game that players may remember from twenty years ago, makes for a good amount of people that may want to look into picking up Ballance.
Nothing New
Unfortunately for Ballance, the issues with this recent release don't end with the poor optimization upon starting the game, but also because the game is precisely the same as its initial release back in 2004. Ballance only has the original 12 levels and no additional content beyond that. This means that for all intents and purposes the game is exactly as it was when it originally released. On the one hand this provides an optimal nostalgic experience, without any additions or alterations that may impact how people treat the game merely for being moderately different. But then on the other hand gaming has evolved quite a bit in the twenty years since Ballance originally released, and some additions or adjustments could have gone a long way towards making a better impression when the game was rereleased.
A Rough Landing
In all, Ballance is a decent game that was released for a very decent price, but besides nostalgia there isn't much that would attract the attention of gamers in a world with many, many options. If you've played the original and are looking for a trip down memory lane then it's a perfect pickup, and the low price makes it a solid pickup if a gamer has a gift card burning a hole in their Steam Page. The game is overall solid, with fun levels and a pleasant nostalgic appearance, but with the poor optimization and limited adaptations since the original release, Ballance does not make an amazing first impression. That doesn't ruin the game by any means, but it may leave a bad taste in the mouth of players.
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6.7
fun score
Pros
Nostalgic, Fun Levels, Cheap Price
Cons
Limited Levels, Poor Optimization, No Additions or Steam Adaptations
