Protoball

About

Protoball is a single player and multiplayer sport game. It was developed by Studio Z 3D and was released on September 8, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Protoball is a futuristic First Person Sports Shooter, a blend of basketball and soccer crossed with high tech futuristic style. Players athletically jump, slide, run, and dash around the arena trying to pass the Protoball through the opponents goal. This is the game you've been waiting for.

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69%

Audience ScoreBased on 86 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of fast-paced competitive action, combining elements of arena shooters and sports games, making it highly enjoyable and addictive.
The developers are very responsive to player feedback and actively engage with the community, fostering a supportive environment for new players.
Despite being in early access, the game shows significant potential for growth and improvement, with many players expressing excitement for its future.

The game suffers from a lack of polish and bugs, which can detract from the overall experience and make it difficult to find matches due to a small player base.
Many players report issues with the game's mechanics and controls, leading to frustration and a perception that the game is not fully playable at this stage.
There are concerns about the monetization model, with some players feeling that the in-game cash shop is intrusive and reminiscent of mobile app practices.

gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
48%
14%
The gameplay of Protoball is characterized by its high mechanical ceiling and smooth, responsive controls, making it both rewarding for skilled players and accessible for newcomers. Players appreciate the unique blend of competitive action and creative mechanics, likening it to a fast-paced arena shooter with elements of various sports. While the game shows potential and offers fun, addictive mechanics, some users note that it requires polish and has a small learning curve that enhances the overall experience.
- “The movement feels smooth and responsive, the ball mechanics are satisfying, and the gameplay rewards skill without feeling punishing to newcomers.”
- “The mechanics, the skill curve, the community, every aspect of this game has brought me so much joy.”
- “Really fun mechanics, easy to get going and have fun but has a lot of depth.”
- “Okay, what can I say about this game? I see a lot of people writing positive reviews and some negative reviews. Let's make a few things clear: yes, this game has potential - maybe, depends on which direction the developers want to take it. From the time I have played the game, I know it says 17 minutes, but I tested all game mechanics and the bells and whistles. It is a decent game at best. The problem is, when I got into it, I thought the resolution was set too low; it wasn't. I see where the gameplay is going as well, a mixture of basketball, soccer, football, and lacrosse - basically Grifball from Halo without the gravity hammers. But in the first match I played, there was 1 person on the other team and me on the other; the match started and that person left, so not the best start. Overall, the game is decent and it does have potential.”
- “Gameplay is a fast-paced low gravity team handball experience.”
- “There is definitely a small learning curve though that rewards you for learning the mechanics.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
12%
38%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the clean, futuristic visuals and cartoonish art style, while others criticize the poor quality assets and lack of optimization. Performance seems to be generally good, but the overall graphical quality is seen as a significant drawback that affects the game's appeal. Despite these issues, some players remain hopeful for future improvements.
- “I’ve also had no issues with performance—everything runs great, and the visuals are clean and futuristic.”
- “It's essentially slightly slower paced Rocket League with a super solid movement system and wonderfully cartoonish art style reminiscent of some of the 2K games (just without cars, of course).”
- “The idea is great, the graphics are good, the UI is well done, and the creators are friendly with their community.”
- “The graphics aren't great, very poor quality assets, zero optimization and zero polish. That's understandably a turn off for a lot of gamers, and it's a big contributor to the failure of the game to attract players despite having no up-front cost.”
- “The graphics in third person are trash, and maybe that's just my PC, but I'm mind blown at how bad.”
- “I hope the game gets better graphics and has more players overall; it is a great game.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The monetization model of the game has been criticized for being heavily reliant on mobile app-style microtransactions, leading players to feel misled about its free-to-play status. Many reviewers express disappointment, suggesting that the focus on profit undermines the game's potential for enjoyment and nostalgia.
- “The game features in-app purchases, which raises questions about its true cost despite being labeled as free.”
- “It's concerning that the developer would mislead players by marking the game as having in-app purchases while not being transparent about it.”
- “The presence of mobile app store-like microtransactions makes it clear that the game isn't entirely free.”
- “As mentioned, this isn't really free as the game is infested with mobile app store-like microtransactions.”
- “Even after that, this still isn't really free as the game is infested with mobile app store-like microtransactions.”
- “Why would the developer mark his game on the Steam store as having in-app purchases then lie directly about the indication he made?”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with many players reporting smooth performance and appealing visuals. However, some users have encountered bugs and performance issues, though these seem to be addressed promptly by the development team.
- “I've also had no issues with performance—everything runs great, and the visuals are clean and futuristic.”
- “I used to have a problem with performance, but once I reported that on the Discord server, a developer contacted me to understand what exactly the issue was, then released an update the next day that fixed it.”
- “I used to have a problem with performance, but once I reported it on the Discord server, a developer contacted me to understand the issue. They released an update the next day that fixed it.”
- “The game frequently suffers from frame drops and stuttering, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
- “Despite the potential of the game, the optimization is lacking, leading to long loading times and crashes.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Overall, users report strong performance and clean visuals, indicating good stability in gameplay. However, there are some concerns regarding the menus and interfaces, which are described as uninteresting and buggy.
- “I’ve also had no issues with performance—everything runs great, and the visuals are clean and futuristic.”
- “Menus and interfaces are uninteresting and buggy.”
- “The game frequently crashes, making it nearly unplayable.”
- “I encountered numerous glitches that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's story is perceived as lacking depth, with the developer relying on player interactions to compensate for insufficient storytelling and level design elements.
- “The developer gambled that other players would be an acceptable substitute for adding storytelling, level design, etc. to the game.”