Very nicely finished, addictive and original puzzler

User Rating: 9.1 | Switchball PC
Switchball is a new edition to the old ball-rolling puzzler genre. Hence the name, the ball must be switched at various stations in order to complete certain tasks of an overall puzzle. There are 4 types of balls throughout the game, one of them the Powerball. Charge up the Powerball at certain stations and you can use all sorts of special abilities like jumping and magnetism. With timed or free play modes its easy enough at first to get you hooked, and tough enough at the end to keep you hanging for more.

Using the AGEIA PhysX engine (software engines required and included with Switchball and supports PhysX graphic cards), Graphics are spectacular! The backgrounds are fairly simple, with nicely detailed platforms and all sorts of gadgets from plain old boxes to in-ground fans and massive clear tubing to roll yourself silly. With 3 different camera modes - one of them manual - and a wide zoom angle you'll never miss any action.

Sound is Good. Excellent effects with a very light and dreamy background music. But hey this is a puzzler. There are true and clear effects sounds to enhance the experience, thats all we need.

Switchball is a fantastic puzzler with great visuals and addictive game-play. A downside, if there must be one, is perhaps the longevity of the game. Although there is the incentive of replaying levels to beat times, once you've worked out a puzzle it can deduct from the intrigue somewhat.