Game Review - Ballz 3D (SNES)

Ballz 3D is a multiplayer action-fighting game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System after having been ported from the Sega Genesis. Released in 1994 by Accolade, the game received very mixed reviews.

Ballz 3D has literally no plot whatsoever. The entire game is arcade-style, thus possessing no semblance of a plot. The characters in the game include zany creatures like Divine and Trusnami, all with their own special powers. Each has its own basic backstory, but nothing more is given in terms of a plot.

The graphics in Ballz 3D are decent, but it overuses the mode 7 functionality of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Since this was a common function for the system, people tended to overuse it rather than focus on good but less 3D graphics. Basically, this game looks like all of the mode 7 games available; landscapes roll in and out, in some sort of mish-mashed logroll effect, though they lack true 3D objects. The basic control scheme involves you rotating on the spot while your environment spins beneath your feet.

The sound and music in Ballz 3D is rather creepy. At the title screen, a dark, scary sound track emanates from behind the scenes. The sound effects are rather poor, however, and it seems like they're all taken from publically available, free sound databases. I can't say that I enjoyed this, as I've heard them in so many other places.

The learning curve and difficulty in Ballz 3D is rather steep at first, but you quickly catch on after the initial experience. Since it utilizes mode seven, all of your movement is determined on some weird 3D plane despite being in a 2D world. You stay in the middle of the map while everything else moves around. Despite this, once I acclimated I was able to easily control the game.

Overall, Ballz 3D is a generic mode 7 game. While it does offer a new element of fighting and arcade-style, it still sort-of drops the ball (the pun intended, of course) in terms of a fun game. Overall, I give Ballz 3D a weak two balls out of five.