Squareball Review

By , on September 3, 2009


Squareball
  • Publisher: Drömsynt
  • Genre: Arcade
  • Released: 2 Sep, 2009
  • Size: 13.8 MB
  • Price: FREE!
Download on the AppStore
5 out of 5

PROS

  • Classic arcade experience and gameplay 20 years later.
  • The music is fantastic and rare to find nowadays.
  • The game’s control scheme is simple and easy to use.

CONS

  • The game doesn’t feature any online leaderboard options.
  • Gameplay is a lot harder than it looks.

VERDICT

If you’re a fan of retro gaming or just an old school gamer at heart, then Squareball is worth the current price.


  • Full Review
  • App Store Info

Imagine, if you would, the fast bouncing gameplay of Breakout mixed with the 80s style of arcade side-scrollers. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you, Squareball; a game where players must bounce a small ball through a maze, breaking all the coloured bricks they find along the way.

As the ball constantly bounces up and down off of walls, players will need to time their map adjustment to progress. By swiping the iPhone screen at the right time, they will shift the entire map past the ball. The game gets increasingly harder the deeper you go into a maze as with more gaps, breakable walls and other obstacles you must avoid to keep your three lives.

The visuals are a fun throwback to the 80s arcade machines, featuring a distinctly arcade style title sequence. The sound features some fantastic midi style electro rock music, and while players cannot use their iPod, this is certainly forgivable. The game features one main game mode but unfortunately no online leaderboard options.

Squareball is the quintessential arcade experience captured in the palm of your hand. Everything about this game screams 80s arcade. And while there are some game issues, such as the steep difficulty and lack of leaderboards, these can be chalked up to maintaining the authenticity of that period of time in gaming history. All in all, this is a great retro game, with a few modern twists and one worth a look at.

Screenshots

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