PunBall
- November 4, 2021
- Habby
- 31h median play time
"PunBall," the latest release from the creators of "Archero," is a puzzle game known for its humor, spectacular gameplay, and compelling visuals. While the story is engaging, the game is weighed down by a significant amount of grinding and frequent ads. Unfortunately, the experience is also marred by numerous bugs, which may frustrate some players. Despite these flaws, "PunBall" has the potential to captivate audiences looking for a lighthearted and entertaining puzzler.
Reviews
- Fun and addictive gameplay with a unique twist on the brick breaker genre.
- No forced ads, allowing players to enjoy the game without interruptions.
- Challenging levels that require strategy and skill to progress.
- Rapid difficulty spikes make it nearly impossible to progress without spending money.
- Energy system limits playtime, requiring long waits to recharge.
- Bugs and glitches, such as balls disappearing or the game crashing, hinder the experience.
- monetization632 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a significant presence of ads and in-app purchases that can feel intrusive or misleading. While some appreciate the option to watch ads for rewards and the ability to progress without spending money, others criticize the aggressive push for microtransactions and the disconnect between the game's actual content and its advertisements. Overall, players express frustration over the reliance on ads and the perception of the game as a cash grab, despite acknowledging that it can still be enjoyable without constant spending.
“No ads which is brilliant!!!”
“A good thing about the game is that there's no ads unless you choose to see them for a revive or extra currency.”
“The in-app purchases aren't crazy expensive, and the game can be played without needing to get them.”
“What once was a fun game has become another cash grab.”
“The game itself could be nice, but it's too much of a grind after the first 2 levels; they hide every boost behind ads and cash payment, not a game, just a cash grab.”
“The core gameplay is okay, but that's wrapped in the nastiest free-to-play monetization I've ever seen.”
- gameplay240 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its core mechanics and engaging design, while others criticize it for becoming repetitive and heavily reliant on pay-to-win elements. Although some users find the gameplay fun and addictive, they express frustration over energy mechanics, excessive ads, and a lack of balance that can hinder progression without spending money. Overall, while the gameplay has potential and enjoyable aspects, it is often overshadowed by monetization strategies and technical issues.
“The gameplay is very fun.”
“Gameplay is fun and chaotic, especially when we already get many skills.”
“Great gameplay, awesome and complicated mechanics yet very intuitive.”
“I would rate 5 stars for the gameplay but gave it a 2 instead because as the game progresses further it becomes a long and tedious affair and is no longer enjoyable.”
“Gameplay completely unrelated to the actual game, frustrating and extremely buggy.”
“The gameplay quickly became frustrating for me, since you don't have complete control over where your character is, and enemies tend to spawn in the gaps left so you don't have a chance to get your balls behind them to do any significant damage.”
- grinding98 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that the game features significant grinding, particularly as players progress beyond level 30, leading to a tedious experience for many. While some players find enjoyment in the grind, others express frustration over the lack of substantial rewards and the necessity of spending money to advance effectively. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a double-edged sword, providing both a challenge and a potential barrier to enjoyment.
“Very fun and not too grindy.”
“I'm disappointed too much farming and little resources.”
“This makes it painfully obvious that the game is designed to become so difficult even with grinding for rewards, you can't progress at a even remotely decent rate without forking over money, which means they don't actually care about providing decent content and won't maintain things long term.”
“The premise is good, but you spend way too much time grinding to power up that it's not fun.”
- graphics76 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game are frequently praised for their cuteness, clarity, and vibrant aesthetics, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience. However, some users have reported issues with graphics quality after updates, as well as concerns about gameplay mechanics being affected by graphical elements. Despite these criticisms, many players find the visuals to be a strong point of the game, enhancing its fun factor and engagement.
“The graphics are great and the actual gameplay is smooth.”
“Overall it is a very well designed game, cool smooth graphics and the character is super cute.”
“Very fun game, great animations, great visuals.”
“Would rate 5 stars but the visuals on the character aren't complete.”
“Last update made the graphics horrible!”
“Hey devs, I don't know if I'm the only one, but since today your game has been lagging graphically and I've been struggling to play, farm for the 7 days rewards and more.”
- stability45 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and glitches that disrupt gameplay and cause loss of progress and in-game currency. Many players express frustration over the game's inability to load properly, leading to a poor overall experience, despite acknowledging its fun elements when it works. The presence of intrusive ads and unresolved bugs further detracts from the enjoyment, prompting some users to recommend caution before playing.
“Overall, it's fun; not buggy, and ads aren't rampant.”
“Great time passes, cool graphics and gameplay, no glitches!”
“Gameplay completely unrelated to the actual game, frustrating and extremely buggy.”
“Great game when it works, can't collect awards or gifts as it just keeps telling me network error or just freezes.”
“Edit #4... every time I beat the boss, in any level, the game freezes and locks down my entire tablet so the only thing I can do is restart the whole tablet.”
- story27 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting that it feels grindy and unfulfilling due to the absence of a compelling narrative. While the gameplay is enjoyable and offers various missions, the main storyline is often described as unplayable or lacking, leading to a desire for more lore and character development to enhance the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, players appreciate the offline playability of story levels and the fun of daily missions, though they express frustration with certain paywalls and mission glitches.
“Also a major upside is that the story levels are playable offline!”
“Great as is, but a storyline would really make this diamond shine.”
“Looks endless so far, but at least has a pun-less story when the game starts.”
“Everything is great, but it would definitely benefit from some kind of storyline.”
“I'll keep up the daily couple of missions and season fights, but the main story is unplayable.”
“It does feel a bit grindy given that there is no story or lore to the game, but it's still fun enough to recommend.”
- music16 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it light-hearted and enjoyable, others describe it as generic and irritating, particularly due to the lack of options to adjust or turn it off. Many users appreciate the absence of intrusive advertisements and the overall fun atmosphere created by the soundtrack, but there are requests for more variety to prevent repetitiveness. Additionally, some players note that the sound levels can be disproportionately loud compared to other games.
“The light-hearted music puts a smile on my face.”
“I gave it 5 stars because it's a very fun game with nice visuals and music, and most importantly, the advertisements do not interrupt gameplay.”
“Finally, a mobile game not riddled with ads and one with an actual soundtrack and not just random noise files.”
“I found the music very irritating since I don't like flute and there's no way of turning off the music - there's no settings, you can only change your player name.”
“But the music and sound's volumes are too loud compared to other games even when I have media volume at the minimum.”
“Honestly, I like this game no forced ads and overall a good time ☺️ only needs one thing though: more music since hearing the same thing repetitively gets irritating, but other than that this app is perfect.”
- humor16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it consistently funny and enjoyable throughout various levels. However, some users note that the humor diminishes after a certain point, particularly when monetization becomes more prominent. Overall, the game is characterized by a lighthearted and amusing tone that enhances the gameplay experience.
“It's balanced, funny, and fair.”
“The best game for me, it's very funny.”
“Easy, funny game.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is criticized for causing significant performance issues, including stuttering, freezing, and excessive heat generation on devices. While some users report a smooth experience, many others highlight the need for improvements in resource consumption and leveling mechanics to enhance gameplay.
“Really fun game that runs smoothly and has minimal ads.”
“I guess it needs some optimization.”
“Great concept but very poor optimization.”
“My only advice is to look into the consumption performance because, damn, the phone gets hot and the battery is melting!”
“Game is freezing and stuttering every time I try to play; it's impossible to continue.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Players generally find the game to have good replayability due to its offline story levels and polished mechanics, though some express a desire for more playable characters and customization options. Overall, the game's ability to save progress without Wi-Fi enhances its playability, contributing to a positive reception regarding replay value.
“Also a major upside is that the story levels are playable offline!”
“Good replay value.”
“Needs more playable characters, I think.”
“Would like to see more playable characters and more visual customization.”
“Polished, well-made, replayable mechanics, just as what Habby has made in the past.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express frustration over gameplay mechanics that disrupt their experience, leading to feelings of irritation and heartbreak. The emotional impact stems from the perception that developers prioritize monetization over player enjoyment, undermining the satisfaction of achieving high scores or combos.
“It's so heartbreaking that the developers make the objective decision of ruining good gameplay with the horrendous mobile gaming greed mechanics we have all come to hate.”
- character development3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is hindered by a scarcity of necessary gems, making it challenging for players to progress, while the enemy difficulty feels mismatched to player levels. However, the character designs, particularly that of the heroine, are praised for their quality and appeal.
“Very nice character designs.”
“The game is great, and I love the heroine's character design!”
“Enemies are ridiculous for the player level, and the specific gems needed for character development are few and far between.”