BALL x PIT Review

If there is one game that has managed to release me from the shackles of Battlefield 6, then it is BALL x PIT from developer Kenny Sun and publisher Devolver Digital. At the time of writing this review, the game has sold over 300,000 copies across all platforms. This is a huge success for an indie title, considering the game is readily available with Xbox Game Pass. Trust me when I say you won’t want to miss out on this fantastically moreish roguelite that I just can’t put down.

Aim, Bounce & Chain Your Way Out Of Chaos

I have an embarrassing confession to make, and I know I wasn’t the only person to make this mistake. Starting with the game, I spent the first twenty minutes or so shooting the balls in a straight line. Not only did this make the game stupidly difficult, but I was wondering what the fuss was about, as the game had scored exceptionally well. It turns out that by using the analogue sticks, you can shoot balls in any direction. Don’t be like me.

Essentially, the premise is very simple here: auto-fire balls and crush any enemies that move towards the bottom of your screen in a Tetris-style motion. If the enemies reach the bottom, then you’ll accumulate damage. Each character that you control will fire a limited number of balls, along with several baby balls. It becomes a game of strategy, and you start to work with what you have at your disposal, bouncing off walls to target enemies at the ba,g but also trying to pick off the closest ones coming towards you. Where things get really interesting is when you level up your main four balls and start fusing and evolving them into stronger balls that have some cool yet devastating effects and damage.

Play With Your Balls

What makes BALL x PIT unique is the different combinations of balls you can run with, which all depend on the drops you gain. Collecting gems from slain enemies will level you up and allow you to choose powers and different elemental balls. Every so often, you’ll see a rainbow coloured pickup known as fusion drops on the floor that will either level up your balls and powers or offer a choice of fusion or evolution.

According to sources, there are over 100 different and unique evolutions that can be discovered. I truly believe that after a huge amount of time with this game, I have yet to discover more. To evolve balls into new ones, you must level up the balls to level three first, and then you may be offered one or two different blends that you can go for. These evolutions then free up space for an extra starter ball, fusing two into a more powerful ball with different effects.

Harvest Between Runs

Between each run, you’ll enter the harvest mode. Here, you’ll have characters that follow the same motion as the balls in the core mode. Using currency accumulated during runs in the game, you’ll strategically place resource buildings, fields and more on a large area which can be expanded. When I first started this area, I was plonking features at random, which in turn was wasting potential harvesting functionality.

Once you send your characters to harvest, they will only bounce around the map for a short period of time. It becomes a game of strategic placement to gather the most resources, unlock new characters for the core mode and also fund ball evolutions, build upgrades and unlock blueprints for additional structures. It adds a layer of depth and replayability to the overall package.

Visuals & Audio

I’d say I’ve poured in excess of 40 hours of gameplay across Xbox Series X, a gaming laptop and Lenovo Legion Go, and BALL x PIT has buttery smooth performance across all. Kenny Sun has nailed everything from the colourful and warm aesthetics to the frantic balls pinging all over the screen. It is a unique yet phenomenal creation, and I love that the fusion and evolution screens seem to have a Balatro-esque feeling about them.

When you look at the different attack elements that the balls create against the enemy blocks coming towards you, it’s visually impressive. Depending on your combination of balls and buffs, you could see different aesthetics from one game to the next. With different themed levels, alternative enemy variance and a decent offering of bosses, there’s a lot of great work gone into the pixel art design. Audio is equally fantastic with crisp and concise, punchy sounds as you hear the balls ricochet off enemies.

Final Thoughts

BALL x PIT took me by surprise and instantly sits in my pile of contenders for my personal game of 2025. I loved that no two runs ever felt identical, and whilst there is more failure than success when it comes to each run, it’s super addictive. It is the perfect pick-up and play game if you only have half an hour to spare. Being able to bounce from the Xbox Series X to my gaming laptop and even my Lenovo Legion Go. There have been many moments where I’ve intended on a few quick runs, and it’s turned into hours. This is one of the definite must-play games of this year. If you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription, get it downloaded. Otherwise, just buy it, it’s an incredible indie gem.