Paperball

About

"Paperball" is an action-packed game that offers both single-player and local multi-player modes for up to 2 players. Experience over 150 unique stages across 10 papercrafted environments, with gameplay modes ranging from challenging stage sets to racing against the clock in Rush Mode. With no lives to worry about and the freedom to try again until you master each stage, get ready for some exciting and competitive gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 197 reviews

gameplay22 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Paperball captures the spirit of Super Monkey Ball with tight controls, creative level design, and a charming aesthetic.
The game offers a variety of modes, including Arcade, Medal, and Time modes, providing plenty of content and replayability for players.
The soundtrack is outstanding, enhancing the overall experience and making the gameplay enjoyable.

Some levels can be excessively difficult, leading to frustration, especially in the later stages where precision is crucial.
The physics can feel a bit off, with diagonal movement providing unintended speed advantages, which may disrupt the intended gameplay experience.
The lack of a story mode and some quality-of-life features, such as a more intuitive level selection process, could detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
40%
7%
The gameplay of "Paperball" is generally well-received, praised for its addictive and casual-friendly mechanics that draw inspiration from classic titles like "Super Monkey Ball." Players appreciate the variety of levels and the introduction of quality-of-life features such as infinite lives and a ranking system, which encourage replayability and skill improvement. However, some critiques highlight issues with physics and level design, suggesting that while the game captures the nostalgic feel of its predecessors, it may lack the tightness and energy that fans expect.
- “The gameplay is spot-on with weight and physics, introducing the player slowly to what they can expect with the first levels before all of the unique stages with fun gimmicks show up.”
- “Paperball hits the nostalgic notes perfectly with gameplay and level design that feel like the classic Super Monkey Ball games of the early 2000s, yet adds onto those with much appreciated quality of life such as infinite lives and saving as well as an incentive to get better at each stage with a ranking system.”
- “Good gameplay, great level design, active and responsive developers. If you like the look of the game, you'll enjoy playing it.”
- “Although this raises a good question within itself, since making the gameplay aspect of one's own game too easy can often result in little to no challenge being offered due to practically no push to encourage the player to get better over time.”
- “The slow and methodical movement makes it stand out from the crowd and provides a unique gameplay experience, but at the same time really lacks the tightness, rush, and fluidity of the original, on top of making specific stages flat-out unfair (looking at you, expert 21).”
- “I made it about halfway through the 'expert' stages before quitting, not out of frustration, just lack of enjoyment with the gameplay and 'feel' of the game.”
music
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
19%
8%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many reviewers praising its outstanding quality and catchy nature. The soundtrack is described as fitting well with the game's themes and levels, enhancing the overall experience. Additionally, the sound design complements the music, creating an enjoyable atmosphere that players find engaging and memorable.
- “The sound design is fantastic, with really satisfying paper sound effects, and the music is outstanding as well.”
- “The music truly is shockingly excellent across the board, given the amount of tracks in the game.”
- “The soundtrack is second to none, and the stage design is excellent.”
- “If you game over, the voice line for Coco where she asks if she made it too difficult is way too quiet and hard to hear over the game over music.”
- “The physics, the music, the (sometimes CBT-inducing) level design, they nailed it all.”
- “The soundtrack has no right to be this good.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
29%
18%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming and cozy aesthetic, featuring a pleasing art style that complements the gameplay. While some reviewers note that the visuals are simple, they find them appealing and fitting for the game's overall presentation. The combination of good level design, catchy music, and smooth controls enhances the visual experience, making it a worthwhile buy at its price point.
- “The aesthetics are wonderful, the quality of life features are much appreciated (particularly insta-retry), there's a plethora of stages to play with, the music's good, the medal system is a great motivator to grind for good times, and the customization is nice.”
- “The card-board and paper aesthetic is just so cozy and the backgrounds of each level set are very visually appealing.”
- “Amazingly catchy music, slick level design and themes, beautiful graphics, and overall an amazingly smooth control of the paperball.”
- “Graphics: descent”
- “If the devs remake this game with better visuals, and remove the frustrating levels, this can become a huge success.”
- “Aesthetically, the game is simple and even a bit garish, which isn't a major setback with this type of game at this price point.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's story aspect is minimal, with some players noting a lack of a traditional narrative despite a charming introductory cutscene. While the art style and thematic elements, such as recycling, are appreciated, many reviewers express disappointment over the absence of a more developed story mode, feeling it could have enhanced the overall experience. Overall, the focus remains on gameplay modes rather than a cohesive storyline.
- “The art style is pretty, and the wrapper story is enjoyable for what it is.”
- “The level design follows the style of classic Super Monkey Ball but brings several new ideas to the table. The music fits each world well, and the overall arts-and-crafts theme and plot is really cute.”
- “The story has the main character doing a project with the theme of recycling, so she creates Super Monkey Ball out of a paper ball and a bunch of cardboard and stuff.”
- “Also, the lack of a 'story' that could have easily accompanied the medal mode for Paperball is a missed opportunity, as I quite liked the comic-style cutscene seen upon booting the game up. It would have added extra charm to the secondary game mode on top of expanding this game's characters, even if it is not the main focus for this indie title.”
- “It really feels like a Super Monkey Ball game and it's really challenging, but too bad there's no story mode.”
- “I wish there was more of a story after that intro.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its smooth performance, particularly on lower-end PCs, allowing for high frame rates even on mid-range hardware. However, there are mixed feelings regarding voice acting quality, with some characters sounding less natural than others.
- “Another positive to the simplistic style: super smooth, low-end PC performance.”
- “I'm running the game on an RTX 2080 and R5 3600X and get around 300+ frames at all times.”
- “Not to knock the voice actor or anything, but in terms of objective performance quality, it sounded like he was putting on a deeper voice than he normally has, and it was painfully obvious. In contrast, Coco herself sounds fantastic, cute, charming, pleasant, airy, and everything she needs to sound like for her art depiction and role as stage announcer.”
- “- Performance: I'm running the game on an RTX 2080 and R5 3600X and get around 300+ frames at all times.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the lack of options to reset levels during gameplay, which can lead to frustrating wait times. However, the engaging music and the rewarding experience of earning medals can make the grinding feel worthwhile for some players.
- “For the love of God, please update the game so you can reset a level during a fallout or level completion. It feels tedious to wait the extra time, to be honest.”
- “Grinding for a single platinum medal can take an hour, and while the music is great, the repetitive nature of the task can become exhausting.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke nostalgia and frustration, reminiscent of the original Monkey Ball experience. Players appreciate how the game captures intense feelings, allowing them to relive past emotions while engaging with the gameplay.
- “I'm giving this a positive review not because I enjoyed this game, but because you encompassed the rage-fueled mindset I had in the original Monkey Ball, and made me feel a happy nostalgia while raging.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
50%
Players find the game highly replayable, particularly enjoying the challenge of speedrunning levels, which become easier with practice. While the game may not provide extensive unique content, its low price and engaging mechanics ensure ample replay value.
- “The first playthrough of the levels is pretty hard, but this game is very replayable and fun to speedrun, making the levels gradually easier, except for Champion 8 and apparently all of Intermediate.”
- “While the game doesn't offer a lot of hours of unique content, it provides more than enough replayability for its low price tag.”
- “As far as the game's length goes, it does not offer a lot of hours of unique content, but it provides more than enough replayability for the low price tag.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is perceived as inconsistent, with some characters, like the dog teacher, lacking authenticity and sounding more like amateur voice acting. The overall comedic elements, including the portrayal of raccoons, may not resonate well with all players.
- “The dog teacher and laughing raccoons sound hilarious, especially the dog teacher who sounds like a guy in his early twenties just trying his hand at voice acting for fun.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever dialogue and unexpected situations that keep you laughing.”
- “I love how the game blends absurdity with wit, making even the simplest interactions feel entertaining and funny.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere of the game is described as fun, complemented by cool music that enhances the overall experience.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, and the music adds a unique charm to the experience.”
- “I love the vibrant atmosphere; it really draws you into the game world.”
- “The game's atmosphere is hauntingly beautiful, creating a perfect backdrop for the story.”