Ballionaire

88%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,088 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • music
Ballionaire Game Cover
Ballionaire blends Roguelike mechanics with Pachinko to create a chaotic and clever game full of interesting builds and point scoring pegs.
Play in Arcadia
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"Ballionaire is a physics-driven strategy roguelike offering 77+ hours of playtime, where you build pachinko-inspired boards, overcome tribulations set by the ELDERS, and master multiple board layouts to become a Ballionaire. Satisfy their monetary demands, create chaos with kinetic combos, and draft new triggers each round to earn money and build an unstoppable scoring engine."

  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Web Browser
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

88%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,088 reviews
gameplay33 positive mentions
story2 negative mentions
  • The game offers a unique and addictive blend of pachinko mechanics and roguelike elements, making it fun to experiment with different strategies and synergies.
  • The art style and sound design are charming, creating an engaging atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • Players enjoy the thrill of watching their carefully constructed boards explode with activity as they score big points, providing a satisfying gameplay loop.
  • The game can feel overly reliant on RNG, leading to frustrating moments where players feel they have little control over their success.
  • Some players find the unlock system to be poorly designed, as it can lead to item bloat and make it difficult to create effective builds.
  • The game lacks depth and replayability after a few hours, with many players feeling they have exhausted the content and strategies available.
  • gameplay79 mentions

    The gameplay of Ballionaire is characterized by a highly engaging and addictive loop that combines unique mechanics reminiscent of pachinko and roguelike elements, offering players a fun and chaotic experience. However, many reviews highlight issues with balance, depth, and replayability, suggesting that while the core concept is strong, execution flaws and a lack of impactful choices can detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game is praised for its cute art style and satisfying progression, but it could benefit from additional mechanics and variety to enhance long-term engagement.

    • “The game has an incredibly addictive quality that keeps you coming back for more, with its engaging mechanics and satisfying progression system.”
    • “Ballionaire is a delightfully quirky roguelike that stands out for its unique mechanics and creative gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay loop is addictive as hell and it's a good price.”
    • “The gameplay feels akin to playing a colorful, chaotic casino machine, where pulling off mighty combos delivers a rush of excitement.”
    • “Individual choices feel unimpactful, leaving the player repeatedly pressing what is essentially one 'generate random number' button and hoping the game spits out a high number back, ultimately making the core gameplay loop feel hollow.”
    • “The gameplay was kind of shallow from what I could really tell, and I just couldn't derive much enjoyment from it at all.”
  • graphics50 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant, colorful, and charming art style, which enhances the overall experience and complements the quirky gameplay. Many players appreciate the unique and fun visuals, along with the satisfying sound design, although some find the aesthetic a bit juvenile or repetitive. Overall, the polished graphics contribute to a lighthearted and engaging atmosphere, making it enjoyable for a broad audience.

    • “The vibrant, colorful art style perfectly complements the game’s quirky and lighthearted tone.”
    • “I love the art style; you can tell the developer poured a lot of themselves into this project, and it shows.”
    • “Addicting gameplay, crazy synergies, beautiful art style!”
    • “As for a personal complaint, I found the art style a bit obnoxious and truly don't understand the praise it gets.”
    • “The wacky character aesthetic and characters only translate well in the trailer.”
    • “The visuals, aesthetics, and sound design aren't too bad.”
  • music31 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its charm and upbeat, whimsical style, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. However, many users note that the soundtrack can become repetitive and express a desire for more variety in tracks across different stages. Overall, while the music enhances the fun and engaging nature of the game, there is room for improvement in terms of diversity and catchiness.

    • “The soundtrack is equally charming, with upbeat and eccentric music that adds to the overall fun and whimsical atmosphere.”
    • “Music is so enjoyable, relaxing, and tons of fun.”
    • “I adore the artwork and design and the game in total, but what made me write this is the music by Tova Nadja Holm.”
    • “The sounds/music doesn't really hit the way other games of the type do.”
    • “Cons: each stage needs more than one music track.”
    • “It's okay, I wish it had more than one terrible musical track.”
  • replayability25 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it enjoyable for a few hours but ultimately lacking depth and variety, leading to a decline in incentive to replay after unlocking everything. While there are elements that could enhance replayability, such as different difficulty levels and unique boards, many reviewers feel that the game falls short compared to other titles in the genre. Overall, it offers fun gameplay but may not satisfy those seeking extensive replay value.

    • “Overall, I think the game is quite good and may have some final replayability, but with so many maps and options to start with, it’s already one of my favorites this year.”
    • “In addition, the game has different boards with some unique twists and different difficulty levels (think of ascension in Slay the Spire), which gives it a high replayability.”
    • “Game is fun, and easily has a generous amount of replay value - and that will only go up if people start actually doing what the devs encourage: making new triggers, boons, and other stuff in the workshop; as with any moddable game, this has absolutely ridiculous potential if the fanbase rises to meet it.”
    • “The game has a replayability of around 4 hours; after that period of time, you've unlocked everything and it becomes pointless.”
    • “The depth and replayability in this tableau roguelite isn't anywhere close to others in the genre.”
    • “All that said, this game is really great and it does what it does really well; it just starts to lack in replayability once you have finally beaten every difficulty or mode.”
  • humor17 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its lighthearted design, amusing sound effects, and whimsical graphics, which contribute to a fun and engaging experience. Players appreciate the blend of randomness and strategy, often finding joy in the unexpected outcomes and funny animations, such as dancing stick figures and playful sound cues. Overall, the game successfully delivers a charming and entertaining atmosphere that enhances the gameplay.

    • “Gosh, if I'd only known earlier... perfect mix of humor, strategy, and luck.”
    • “Nonetheless, it is a very well-made game with cute and funny graphics and well-working physics.”
    • “I just like the vibes, man. The funny dancing stick-figure that says 'wow!' every time I pick a new upgrade motivates me.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    Players find the game emotionally engaging, as the combination of satisfying sound effects and music enhances the experience of executing successful strategies and watching chain reactions unfold. While some may feel challenged or frustrated initially, the eventual mastery of the game brings a sense of clarity and joy, making the emotional highs of gameplay particularly rewarding.

    • “They may laugh or giggle a lot and experience a sense of mental and emotional clarity.”
    • “Planning your triggers and combos works fantastically alongside the emotional satisfaction of getting that lucky bounce.”
    • “Despite not unlocking everything (you don't want to), not even touching the next maps because they just don't work with how the game plays, and only using like three working strategies, you end up feeling like you've gotten all the game has to offer.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    While the game excels in providing a satisfying experience for growth and strategy enthusiasts, players report significant performance issues, such as stuttering and lag, when builds become overly optimized, leading to frustrating gameplay moments.

    • “If you enjoy games that scratch the itch for growth, strategy, and optimization, this is a fantastic choice.”
    • “Once a build gets optimized, everything just explodes every time I drop a ball.”
    • “The game offers a deep level of optimization that keeps players engaged and strategizing.”
    • “The game seems to stutter hard whenever a build gets too optimized or overblown.”
    • “Only problem is, once a build gets optimized, everything just explodes every time I drop a ball.”
  • story2 mentions

    Users express a desire for a more structured story mode, indicating that while they enjoyed the game, they would have preferred a chronological mission system or a campaign to enhance the narrative experience.

    • “It would be nice if it had a solid story mode.”
    • “I still enjoyed it, but I wish there was a chronological mission system or some sort of campaign.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a charming and whimsical ambiance, enhanced by an upbeat and eccentric soundtrack. Players appreciate the great art and engaging gameplay, which contribute to a fun and immersive experience.

    • “The soundtrack is equally charming, with upbeat and eccentric music that adds to the overall fun and whimsical atmosphere.”
    • “Great art, excellent atmosphere, the music is great and gameplay is addictive, but not in a way like cigarettes that will take years off of your life.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in later difficulties where debuffs detract from the experience. Despite the potential for diverse builds, many feel that certain mechanics are ineffective, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.

    • “There is a lot of potential in this game, but it fell short for me. The debuffs you get in later difficulties are not fun and mostly just tedious. I tried a bunch of different builds, and it's very apparent that some triggers and holders just aren't good.”
    • “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the content.”
    • “I found the grind to be frustratingly monotonous, with little reward for the time invested.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Overall, players report a stable experience with minimal to no glitches during gameplay, indicating a well-optimized performance.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

Buy Ballionaire

Play time

8hMedian play time
20hAverage play time
4-40hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs

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