BALL x PIT Review
Ball x Pit combines Breakout with roguelite mechanics to create something genuinely addictive.
Ball x Pit. Credit: Kenny Sun / Devolver Digital
Any new Devolver Digital release always has my attention, and Ball x Pit was no exception, especially after Jeremy's enthusiastic endorsement. Like most of their other games, it hooked me immediately and didn't let go for many, many hours. Developer Kenny Sun (Mr. Sun's Hatbox) blends classic Breakout arcade brick-breaking gameplay with roguelite survivors mechanics and a fantasy setting to create something fresh with an incredibly addictive loop. Though it loses a little steam late-game, it's still excellent.
A cataclysm annihilated the great city of Ballbylon, leaving a gaping abyss in its place. Treasure hunters and explorers arrive seeking fortune in the chasm, building New Ballbylon around its edge. Your task is to explore the depths, fighting the hordes of monsters rising to the surface while rebuilding the city above.
Ball x Pit. Credit: Kenny Sun / Devolver Digital
You take the elevator down into the pit and choose a hero to tackle one of the levels, which unlock sequentially. Levels are long corridors filled with enemies slowly approaching from the bottom of the screen, occasionally firing projectiles at you. At set intervals, powerful minibosses attack, and each level culminates in a battle against a massive boss.
Your hero marches down the corridor automatically, firing their signature ball as well as small generic mini-balls (manually or autofire) that damage monsters with each hit. You strategically angle shots to bounce balls off walls or ricochet between multiple enemies to maximize damage. With each survivors-style level-up, you're given a choice between new balls, support passives, or upgrades to existing abilities. Your build evolves based on these choices—maybe you'll get damage bonuses for hitting enemies from behind, or perhaps you'll spec into balls that pass through enemies instead of bouncing off them. The variety keeps you constantly adapting your approach.
Every so often, upgrade items drop onto the field. By default, these randomly upgrade one or more of your balls or passives. But if you've reached level 3 on any balls that can fuse or evolve, you can trigger a transformation instead. Evolution combines multiple balls to create entirely new balls with unique abilities, while fusion consolidates balls into a single powerful orb that inherits their combined properties. The game hits its peak when you've assembled several evolved balls working in concert, filling the screen with bouncing chaos. With over 60 balls to discover, there's genuine excitement in finding new combinations.
Each hero starts with a signature ball and a unique perk. While any hero can earn any ball during a run, the perks define their playstyle. The Shade fires balls downward from the top of the screen, completely inverting the traditional Breakout formula. The Juggler lobs balls in an arc over enemies before they start bouncing, adding a satisfying physics wrinkle. Eventually, you unlock the ability to run levels with two heroes simultaneously, combining their perks to create entirely new gameplay dynamics. Pairing the right heroes transforms familiar levels into fresh challenges.
Ball x Pit. Credit: Kenny Sun / Devolver Digital
While each level grows progressively more challenging, they don't feel different enough from one another. I wanted more mechanical variation in the levels themselves as I pushed deeper—new enemy behaviors, environmental hazards, or gameplay twists beyond what each hero's traits provide. Grinding through levels multiple times to collect all the town blueprint drops gets tedious, even when playing the "hard" mode where enemies advance more quickly. The core loop remains fun, but additional level gimmicks would've helped sustain momentum through the endgame.
Ball x Pit. Credit: Kenny Sun / Devolver Digital
Between runs, you rebuild New Ballbylon from the blueprints you've discovered. These structures unlock new heroes, adjust stat scaling, grant special abilities, and harvest resources needed for further construction. Placement matters—some buildings automatically harvest adjacent resources while others buff nearby structures within range. Thankfully, the game lets you freely rearrange the town without demolishing anything, encouraging experimentation with optimal layouts. The ball bouncing mechanics extend here, too. You aim and launch your available heroes, who ricochet off resources to collect materials. Anything you build or upgrade starts as scaffolding that requires enough bounces to complete construction. It's a clever thematic consistency that makes the town-building feel integrated rather than tacked on.
Ball x Pit. Credit: Kenny Sun / Devolver Digital
The art style nails a vibrant, cartoony fantasy aesthetic combining 3D models with pixel art. Character designs are expressive and immediately readable despite the visual chaos of late-game runs. The enemy designs have personality, from simple slimes to elaborate multi-stage bosses, and the environments manage to feel distinct despite being variations on corridor layouts thanks to variation to color palette and theme.
I couldn't put this game down. I became obsessed with beating every level with every hero, a goal I haven't achieved yet, though I'm getting close. Ball x Pit takes classic arcade gameplay and spins it into something that feels modern and compulsively replayable. The late-game grind dulls the shine slightly, but the core experience is strong. This is a must-play.
Ball x Pit is available now on Steam, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S.
Overall Score: 8/10
Played on: PS5
