To quickly summarize this third iteration of Boom Ball: it's more of the same, but better with a few tweaks to an already proven formula that's fun and engaging.
The most noticeable change from the previous games in the series is the ability to customize your paddles. You can do so with the Kinect or from the already predetermined designs that you can unlock over the course of your playtime. Personally, I just made a silly face and slapped that on a paddle -- it's for an achievement. Of course, you can be far more creative than I was. I do have two dogs and a cat, so could have opted to stick their faces on there, but doubtful either of them would have cooperated long enough to do so.
Before I transition into something else, wanted to followup with the paddle designs you can unlock. First off, you need enough stars to do so. If you go through the whole game on Normal, which gifts you a single star per stage, you won't have enough to unlock all of them -- and yes, that's for another achievement. You will have to complete at least a dozen stages on Turbo difficulty, which is the hardest. The middle difficulty is labeled Fast, and you'll have to do most of the levels in that.
To breakdown the difficulties:
Normal - one star
Fast - two stars
Turbo - three stars
If you're already familiar with the fundamentals of Boom Ball, you might find that Normal will be too easy, slow and perhaps a bit boring over time due to the lack of a challenge. Personally, I found the Fast difficulty to be perfect whereas Turbo got a little crazy. Of course, don't get me wrong, Turbo had its moments and was quite enjoyable to dabble in its insanity. If you want to earn a Gold medal in all of the levels -- another achievement -- kicking it up to Fast will be necessary in order to meet that requirement.
In order to earn a Gold medal, you will have to remove all of the blocks in the fastest time possible to hit that par time. Basically -- and I may have gotten ahead of myself here -- but you stand in front of the Kinect with your hands acting as paddles and you have to smack a ball into these blocks. Think Brick Breaker or one of the game modes from a Kinect launch title, Kinect Adventures -- Rally Ball. It's essentially the same thing, just spiced up and arguably more fun and engaging.
Anyway, these blocks form "walls" and I use that term loosely. Those blocks just don't sit there, they move around constantly whereas some are more creative than others. You start with basic designs, but the later levels end up being really clever and ingenious in my opinion. In Boom Ball 3, some of the blocks creations seem to be even more lively and full of character compared to the rest of the series. And, as the name of the areas suggest, you'll run into farm animals, aliens, underwater creatures and even a big, bad boss at the end -- probably one of my favorite levels.
While everyone's experience differs drastically when Kinect is involved, but I ran into minimal issues. For instance, I have read about how luck plays a factor on completing some of the later levels and how precise shots are just not possible. I disagree, but can see where those naysayers are coming from. From my experience, I felt as if I got "lucky" at times and hit an explosive block to help pave the way for a Gold medal, but you can time your shots and turn things into your favor. Regardless, precision shots are possible with enough muscle memory and in turn will help with your enjoyment with this game. Of course, you may go through a frustrating stage and some growing pains if you're new to Boom Ball, but stick with it and it will become rewarding. The learning curve is not steep at all and you will soon realize that skill will be greater than luck.
Up next, let's elaborate on the levels and the different power-ups you will experience in the game. As most games, the levels get progressively more difficult and Boom Ball is no exception. You will get to experience blocks that are not penetrable with a normal ball. You will also run into regenerating blocks that might annoy you.
Basically, those blocks will constantly keep regenerating previously smashed blocks unless you take them out first. Here is where you will either have to learn how to smack your ball(s) with precision or hope for a lucky bounce.
All of the levels included in the game are well designed and visually appealing. There are a total of fifty levels -- no bonus level this time though -- and I found all of them to be enjoyable. Nothing was rehashed and all original works.
As far as power-ups are concerned, these are all implemented well. Let's break these down:
Multi-ball: can either be gifted one, two or even three additional balls
Big Balls: [insert dirty joke here]
Explosive Balls: splash damage and destroys impregnable blocks
Heavy Balls: helps to penetrate through multiple layers of blocks
In order to retrieve these power-ups, look for the blocks with a question mark. Not all are easily accessible, but are usually helpful to seek after since utilizing them will help with earning Gold medals. Plus, they are quite satisfying to use too.
I know most reviews mention the audio and soundtrack, but you might want to defer to other reviews for that. I'm probably tone-deaf, but even with that said, the sound effects were fine. The audio and tunes were adequate and can't think of anything to downplay.
Before wrapping this up, wanted to touch base about the multiplayer aspect, which is something I always like to see implemented. One thing to note is that I was pleasantly surprised that not as much space was required for two players. Of course, still be mindful of the proximity of your partner because smacking them is a real possibility in the heat of the moment. I can confidently say that any injuries that may have occurred did not result in any permanent damage and both parties were able to walk away under their own strength.
All in all, Virtual Air Guitar continues to deliver with another solid Kinect title and proves that the Kinect isn't six feet under. If you're looking for something that is more engaging that actually requires you to be on your feet with no controller in hand, then step right up and give Boom Ball a try. I'm confident you won't be disappointed. It's a fun game. Then again how can smashing blocks not be fun?
4.0