Ball x Pit Review

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Release Date: October 15,2025

Publisher/Developer: Kenny Sun, Devolver Digital

Platform: Steam, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5 (reviewed)

Price: $14.99

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Vampire Survivors meets arcade classic Breakout, this survival rougelite / city builder is the most fun you’ll ever have playing with balls.

Armed with magical projectiles in the form of bouncing balls, face off against armies of barbaric creatures within a meteoric pit on your way to rebuilding the once great city of Ball-bylon.

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The Pit

One giant space ball is all it took. After an unexpected cataclysmic meteor shower annihilated the once great city of Ballblyon, the only thing that remains is a giant ominous pit. Within the depths of this pit lies Ballblyon’s lost and scattered riches. Now it is up to you the player, and whichever hero you choose to command, to plummet into darkness in order to find the resources to rebuild the fallen city.

The pit acts as a level hub, as you hop aboard a mechanical platform and descend down to multiple floors. Each of these floors offers a special region to explore with its own unique set of hazards. The biggest hazard being hordes of enemies, cleverly designed as bricks, that continuously come at you in waves. As you venture deeper into the pit, these enemies (and bosses) become increasingly more challenging.

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The Balls

Fixed Shooters or “Shoot ‘em Ups” have existed since the time of Galaga and Space Invaders. But none before have combined the classic gameplay style with brick-breaker elements. Swapping traditional projectiles with chaotic bouncing and ricocheting balls adds a layer of strategy that, on its own, feels genre redefining. But Kenny Sun and Devolver Digital did not stop there.

Now take that Fixed Shooter Brick-Breaking structure and throw in everyone’s favorite video game additive, Rougelike Elements (more Rougelite in this case, but more on that later). Each run in “The Pit” sees you stumble upon an assortment of 60 randomized balls, each with their own ability, that can be equipped to better take on enemies. And after leveling balls up they can be fused together to unlock unexpected synergies and overpowered combinations, making each run feel refreshing by encouraging experimentation. The above photo shows a Vertical Laser Ball and Horizontal Laser Ball being fused to create a powerful evolution, Holy Laser, that on a hit deals massive damage to all of the enemies in the same row and column.

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New Ballbylon

Similar to previous Devolver title Cult of the Lamb, Ball x Pit adds a City-Builder section that acts as your base of operations. This is also where those aforementioned Rouglite Elements begin to further present themselves further. Throughout each dungeon run you will gather resources such as gold, stone, wheat, and wood. These resources can be used to expand and grow the community of New Ballbylon with over 70 unique buildings.

Each building unlocks new power-ups, passive bonuses to stats, and even new characters to play as. It is through the growth of this tiny city, that progression is most felt. As tiles are filled and buildings are upgraded, Ballbylon rises from the ashes. And in that moment, an unspoken partnership is realized. Through the viewing of the city’s physical growth, your Heroes own innate abilities flourish and prosper, giving a swelling sense of broadening power.

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overall

The polyamorous marriage between a Discordian cacophony of gaming genres is a match made in chaos, birthing an overflowing cornucopia of righteously intoxicating… balls.

Cons:

• Tutorials could break information down better

• Some menus felt slow and glitchy

• You won’t accomplish anything other than play this game

Pros:

• Fantastic Sound Design

• Marriage of game mechanics that work well together

• Addictive gameplay loop that doesn’t stale

• Good design in regard to Accessibility

• Experimental evolution leading to replayability