Paperball

About

Paperball is a single player and multiplayer arcade racing game. It was developed by Cliax Games and was released on March 27, 2020. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"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.

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 342 reviews

gameplay42 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Paperball captures the nostalgic feel of the classic Super Monkey Ball games with well-designed levels and engaging gameplay.
The game offers a variety of modes, including Arcade, Medal, and Rush, providing plenty of content and replayability for players.
The sound design and music are outstanding, enhancing the overall experience and making it enjoyable to play.

The physics can feel off at times, with some players noting a lack of momentum and responsiveness compared to the original games.
Certain levels can be excessively difficult or frustrating, leading to a steep learning curve that may deter some players.
The camera controls can be frustrating, and the lack of a story mode or mini-games may leave some players wanting more.

gameplay
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
45%
4%
The gameplay of "Paperball" is generally well-received, praised for its addictive and casual-friendly mechanics reminiscent of classic platformers 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 mastery. However, some critiques highlight issues with physics and level design, noting that certain stages can feel unfair or overly challenging, which may detract from the overall experience for some players.
- “In conclusion, Paperball is definitely a competent and fairly fleshed-out platformer that takes full advantage of its gameplay, drawing inspiration from Super Monkey Ball while also daring to change the formula slightly by adapting a 'paper-esque' physics. This makes it more casual-friendly while still providing challenges for experienced gamers, ensuring that you'll have a great time regardless of your familiarity with the SMB classics!”
- “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 features such as infinite lives and saving, as well as an incentive to improve at each stage with a ranking system.”
- “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.”
- “If Paperball is doing all that it can to make the casual gameplay experience better, then what incentives are there for veterans of the genre or SMB series, or even those who like a good challenge?”
- “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
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
22%
5%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its outstanding quality and catchy compositions that enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack is noted for its variety and ability to fit the themes of different levels, contributing to a fun and engaging atmosphere. Overall, players find the music to be a standout feature, often describing it as surprisingly excellent and a major highlight of the game.
- “The music truly is shockingly excellent across the board, given the amount of tracks in the game.”
- “Best part of the game is definitely the music, which is surprisingly great.”
- “5/5 for music, stays hype, loop doesn't get annoying, would spend an hour grinding a single platinum medal again.”
- “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 music fits the theme of each world, and most things are pleasant to look at.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
34%
12%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming cardboard and paper aesthetic, which creates a cozy atmosphere and complements the fun level designs. While the visuals are described as simple and occasionally garish, they are considered appealing and appropriate for the game's style. Overall, the graphics effectively enhance the gameplay experience, though some reviewers express a desire for improved visuals in future updates.
- “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.”
- “The graphics are simple, but very appealing.”
- “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.”
- “Graphics: the game's presentation is appropriate.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's story is minimal, primarily introduced through a brief comic-style cutscene that sets up a recycling theme, where the main character creates a Super Monkey Ball from a paper ball. While players appreciate the charming arts-and-crafts aesthetic and the nostalgic feel of the game, many express disappointment over the lack of a more developed story mode, feeling it could have enhanced the experience and character depth. Overall, the focus remains on gameplay modes rather than narrative, leaving some players wishing for a richer storyline.
- “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.”
- “I would classify arcade mode as 'the story mode.' It's the best way to learn the mechanics starting out and is a simple enough game mode that anyone can enjoy.”
- “Also, the lack of a 'story' that could have easily accompanied the medal mode for Paperball is a missed opportunity. I quite liked the comic-style cutscene seen upon booting the game up, and 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.”
- “- Bit nitpicky, but I kinda wish there was more of a story after that intro :(”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's optimization is praised for its smooth performance, even on low-end PCs, with users reporting high frame rates, such as 300+ on mid-range hardware. However, there are mixed feelings about the voice acting quality, particularly regarding the depth of one character's voice compared to another's more fitting performance.
- “Another positive to the simplistic style: super smooth, low-end PC performance.”
- “Not to knock the voice actor or anything, but just in terms of objective performance quality, he sounded like he was putting on a deeper voice than he normally had 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.”
- “Not to knock the voice actor or anything, but just in terms of objective performance quality, he sounded like he was putting on a deeper voice than he normally had 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.”
grinding
6 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 failures or completions, which prolongs wait times. However, the engaging music and the potential for rewarding gameplay keep some players motivated to grind for achievements like platinum medals. Overall, while the grinding can feel repetitive, the game's atmosphere and sound design help maintain player interest.
- “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 grind can become exhausting.”
- “The grinding aspect of the game feels tedious and could use some improvements to make it more engaging.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting a mix of nostalgia and frustration reminiscent of their experiences with the original Monkey Ball. The game successfully evokes feelings of rage while simultaneously tapping into happy memories, creating a unique emotional experience.
- “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
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game is noted for its high replayability, particularly due to the fun of speedrunning and the gradual easing of difficulty in levels after the initial playthrough. While it may not provide extensive unique content, its low price point and engaging mechanics make it worthwhile for repeated play.
- “As far as the game's length goes, it does not offer a lot of hours of unique content, but it offers more than enough replayability for the low price tag.”
- “First playthrough, the levels are pretty hard, but this game is very replayable and is fun to speedrun, so the levels get gradually easier, except Champion 8 and apparently all of Intermediate.”
- “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
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is perceived as inconsistent, with some characters, particularly the dog teacher, lacking authenticity and sounding more like amateur voice acting. This detracts from the overall comedic effect, leaving players feeling that the humor falls flat.
- “The dog teacher and laughing raccoons sound hilarious, especially the dog teacher, who sounds like a guy in his early twenties just having fun with voice acting.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, with quirky characters and witty dialogue that keeps you laughing throughout.”
- “I love the playful banter and absurd situations; it really adds a unique charm to the gameplay.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently described as fun, complemented by enjoyable music that enhances the overall experience.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly fun, and the music adds a cool vibe to the experience.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly fun, and the music adds a cool vibe to the experience.”