Developer: Cliax Games
Genre: Platformer, Arcade, Monkey Ball
This is where I think the comparisons to Super Monkey Ball matter most. The biggest difference between Paperball and the former, which will determine if you want to get involved with this game or not, is that in Monkey Ball control is a lot looser. Physically, the movement of Super Monkey Ball feels like you are sliding across the surface, like wet soap in a bathtub. This requires a lot more risk taking on floors with difficult architecture and pushes you to make aggressive, tighter stage tilts to keep yourself from falling off. I would say that Paperball is a bit more approachable and friendly in this regard. Or to sound less condescending, the learning curve for this game is low enough in initial pick ups that you will be able to clear the majority of its many levels and then learn how to clear them quicker and with less deaths over time. In Super Monkey Ball if you don't clear the skill ceiling by the time you make it through the beginner and intermediate courses then you will be less likely to even see the majority of the expert courses and anything that lies beyond.
I like the way that Paperball controls and I like the way its award system is built around speed running and not "not dying-ing". I don't like, however, the pieces of architecture that betray the game's established movement. Launch pads and rotating platforms ignore friction entirely. The lightest brush in with either of these objects will send you violently flying in the opposite direction and gives you little say on your camera or controller inputs beyond a minuscule amount of extra forward momentum required to get over walls. This deliberate violation of the game's physics is annoying, especially in levels built around their inclusion. A work-around exists, obviously - it just feels inconvenient to suddenly work against the established play style. The worst piece of architecture which does not compliment the friction-heavy physics of the game at all are upward slopes. They're extremely common across a multitude of floors and navigating them are a chore. Thankfully, you won't need to worry about having enough momentum to climb them or work out the precise angle needed to retain your speed, because regardless of how you interact with slopes you will immediately halt to a slow crawl. In a game that emphasizes speed and makes it the basis of its award system, it is so incredibly stressful to watch time crumble away when trudging up these ramps.
Time is valuable in Paperball. There are medals to collect on each floor, from platinum to absolutely nothing at all. It all depends on how long it takes for you to cruise through a floor. Racing a clock is always fun, it naturally encourages risk taking and sinking your teeth deep into learning and mastering the control of a game to clear floors in quick and daring ways. This game quells any anxiety over timing out or losing lives, getting a game over, and having to start over. I stand by the fact that life systems are mechanics of a bygone era and rarely improve games they're implemented into in the modern day, so Paperball forgoing them entirely is a massive plus. The ability to also save and exit to return to your current run is another small addition that makes a world of difference for me and really helps bolster this game's replayability. And though time may be valuable for a speed-based platformer such as this one, that doesn't mean speed is what you'll always get. One of the more confusing design choices present, in my opinion, is just how many floors put so much emphasis on waiting.
The clock obviously compensates for the levels designed to take longer, but that isn't my problem. When I said that "waiting" was one of the three main elements to this game, I didn't exactly mean it as a good thing. This is an issue I've had with every one of these Monkey Ball-type games, Super Monkey Ball included. Building so many levels around waiting for floating platforms to arrive or being slowly air lifted to other parts of the stage while slightly tapping the control stick to stop myself from falling off the edge just isn't interesting. It is an immediate halt to the speed and spontaneous fun of throwing yourself into harms way to see if you make it through for the sake of what, padding? Challenge? I'm not speaking ill of levels where you have to time your movement to make it through dangerous obstacles, those are fine. Just the stages where it feels like I'm forced to slow down to a grinding halt for no other reason than the fact it's a commonality for this style of game.
Paperball is the latest in a niche, micro-genre of Super Monkey Ball-inspired arcade platformers that carries the inspirations and absurdities of its' dormant originator proudly. In this game, you assume control of the cute cat girl's (pictured above) art project, a crudely built paper ball progressing through an ever-growing gauntlet of obstacle courses while learning about the importance of recycling along the way... maybe. Will you clear each floor, bag the best medals, and survive to get the grade? Only time, and lots and lots and lots of deaths, will tell. I won't be framing this entire review around how well Paperball apes (ha) Super Monkey Ball and all of its unique presentations and intricate designs. This game, like any other, deserves to stand on its own and be judged as Paperball; not just as Super Monkey Ball, but Not. If your only concern is how well this game "Monkey Balls" then for the sake of brevity I'll conclude that this is a pretty good substitute and worth checking out if you're desperate to scratch that itch. However, this game is not a 1:1 recreation as a spiritual successor title, which is why I'd invite you to continue reading.
Paperball is all about three things: Movement, critical thinking, and waiting. The geometry and architecture of each floor will be built around at least two of these elements while occasionally shifting focus to singular gimmicks or compiling all three at once. The game itself is divided into three runs: The beginner course, the intermediate course, and the expert course, along with an additional ten stage "champion" run that I was unable to clear a single level of. Mock me if you must. Despite the course names indicating that the difficulty scales between them, the challenges you face in this game rest entirely on each individual floor as opposed to a general "increase" in difficulty all together. The jump between an impossibly difficult level and one that is a walk in a park can happen on a back-to-back basis. While this fluctuation in difficulty isn't too cumbersome, it does make my wonder why stage 10 of the Expert run was one of the most frustrating things I've had to ever subject myself to while the final ten levels in the same course were arguably some of the easiest in the entire game.
The "movement" of Paperball, or more accurately my bad explanation of its' physics is built heavily around friction. While Monkey Ball veterans will be familiar with the concept that you control the stage in this game and not the ball, newcomers may be less so aware. Control over stage tilting is tight and immediate, you can expect your ball to stop and adapt to sharp adjustments on the controller thanks to the floor having natural resistance against forward momentum. This is important for floors that require navigation on curved paths or colliding with walls after being launched off ramps because it means you have more than enough ability to keep yourself from falling off the edge regardless of your momentum. It's difficult to explain but it feels like your ball is physically present on the floor and is "rolling" across it.
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| Risk it all for a potential level skip or run through the deadly bubble wrap? The choice is yours! |
This is where I think the comparisons to Super Monkey Ball matter most. The biggest difference between Paperball and the former, which will determine if you want to get involved with this game or not, is that in Monkey Ball control is a lot looser. Physically, the movement of Super Monkey Ball feels like you are sliding across the surface, like wet soap in a bathtub. This requires a lot more risk taking on floors with difficult architecture and pushes you to make aggressive, tighter stage tilts to keep yourself from falling off. I would say that Paperball is a bit more approachable and friendly in this regard. Or to sound less condescending, the learning curve for this game is low enough in initial pick ups that you will be able to clear the majority of its many levels and then learn how to clear them quicker and with less deaths over time. In Super Monkey Ball if you don't clear the skill ceiling by the time you make it through the beginner and intermediate courses then you will be less likely to even see the majority of the expert courses and anything that lies beyond.
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| Protip: The pink platforms respond to the inverse of your controller inputs, more challenging than it looks! |
Time is valuable in Paperball. There are medals to collect on each floor, from platinum to absolutely nothing at all. It all depends on how long it takes for you to cruise through a floor. Racing a clock is always fun, it naturally encourages risk taking and sinking your teeth deep into learning and mastering the control of a game to clear floors in quick and daring ways. This game quells any anxiety over timing out or losing lives, getting a game over, and having to start over. I stand by the fact that life systems are mechanics of a bygone era and rarely improve games they're implemented into in the modern day, so Paperball forgoing them entirely is a massive plus. The ability to also save and exit to return to your current run is another small addition that makes a world of difference for me and really helps bolster this game's replayability. And though time may be valuable for a speed-based platformer such as this one, that doesn't mean speed is what you'll always get. One of the more confusing design choices present, in my opinion, is just how many floors put so much emphasis on waiting.
The clock obviously compensates for the levels designed to take longer, but that isn't my problem. When I said that "waiting" was one of the three main elements to this game, I didn't exactly mean it as a good thing. This is an issue I've had with every one of these Monkey Ball-type games, Super Monkey Ball included. Building so many levels around waiting for floating platforms to arrive or being slowly air lifted to other parts of the stage while slightly tapping the control stick to stop myself from falling off the edge just isn't interesting. It is an immediate halt to the speed and spontaneous fun of throwing yourself into harms way to see if you make it through for the sake of what, padding? Challenge? I'm not speaking ill of levels where you have to time your movement to make it through dangerous obstacles, those are fine. Just the stages where it feels like I'm forced to slow down to a grinding halt for no other reason than the fact it's a commonality for this style of game.
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| Protip: Roll off the edge until you're given an option to skip this level, it isn't worth it! |
What I think makes Paperball stand out is how creative it gets with its floor design. It stands to reason that at the very least it does a serviceable job emulating the "Monkey Ball" style, hence my recommendation earlier in the review. But it leaves its own unique mark in the way it constructs its architecture and this shines through various stretches of your course runs. I'd argue that at a certain point, Paperball starts moving away from standard gauntlet floors and gets more adventurous and challenging with the ways it asks you to get from point A to point B. These stages range from containing very interesting, elaborate gimmicks while others pull off some minor tricks that make you go "huh, neat". When Paperball strikes the right balance of interesting and challenging the magic of this game's design really shines through. Not every stage is a surefire hit, sure, but when this game hits, damn does it make for some truly exciting platforming.
Paperball is great. It's unique, challenging, frustrating, charming, and a lot of fun - the way this type of game ought to be. It offers a lot for anyone who is a fan of the Monkey Ball style of gameplay and works as a great and approachable entry for newcomers. While balance may be a hindering struggle, when this game shines it shines and makes for a challenge I don't mind coming back to over and over. And, uh, remember to always recycle!
Paperball is great. It's unique, challenging, frustrating, charming, and a lot of fun - the way this type of game ought to be. It offers a lot for anyone who is a fan of the Monkey Ball style of gameplay and works as a great and approachable entry for newcomers. While balance may be a hindering struggle, when this game shines it shines and makes for a challenge I don't mind coming back to over and over. And, uh, remember to always recycle!
Paperball can be purchased through Steam.
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