Oh the days of College and University, playing Air Hockey between lectures and to pass the time with friends. Getting hit with the pucks and having them fling off into the distance from a bad angled shot, much fun is to be had… wait you said neon lights and explosions???
WarpBall is just that, an Air Hockey game with neon colours, fast paced actions and explosive blasts that send the puck flying… just not into your friends hand. WarpBall is developed by Unruly Attractions, the small team that also created the Puzzle Game Standpoint and goes in the opposite direction of that game, focusing on multiplayer over single player.
Gameplay
WarpBall is a very simplistic game, being designed on the iconic game found in Arcades, pubs and Student locations, Air Hockey. It is currently a Two player game, controlled with two controllers hooked up to your computer and gives you the ability to move your Mallet, warp it or cause an explosion to emanate from it.
Movement is very simple; you just move the left analogue stick in the direction you want to mallet to move, the faster it moves the more force it puts behind the Puck. Keeping to the name of the game you can also Warp your mallet in a chosen direction with the Right trigger which teleports your Mallet about 3 mallet widths from its current location. The last ability is the explosion which sends out a shockwave from your mallet in a circle form that sends the puck flying in the opposite direction.
Currently there is only the One on One or Two on Two game types where you versus a friend and you can set if the game goes on for a set time or till a set score. There are more game modes planned for later builds and I feel that will make the game so much better, as Air Hockey is only meant to be played to pass the time or for a couple of games and the game lacks the longevity it needs.
Overall Thoughts and Feelings
The music and themes are spot on; the music is a great choice of Trance/Techno with the neon visuals that blend together very nicely. Though the soundtrack is pretty minuscule right now it can make the current songs very repetitive and can blend into the background after a few games.
The game simulates the Air Hockey experience perfectly, with me and my brother getting worked up and into the game just like we would with the real life counterpart. I believe the added mechanics of Warping and Explosions really amp up the excitement as it takes a new spin on the everyday game.
If you’re into minigames or games that will help pass the time for a couple of minutes, WarpBall is for you. However if you are looking for a long game with engaging story this is not the place for you.
