Bang on Balls: Chronicles Switch Review

Bang on Balls: Chronicles has to be the weirdest titled game I have ever reviewed, and if you found this review on either Google or YouTube search, I salute you. Despite its rather odd and possibly adult-themed name, Bang on Balls (let’s just call it BoB from here) is a family-friendly adventure that spans multiple worlds as your character (Also named Bob) dreams of being a movie star. You manage to sneak onto a set that acts as an introduction to the mechanics and traverse worlds like a Viking Invasion, Feudal Japan, and a Rocket Launch to complete a variety of tasks.

Gameplay sees you roll around expansive and colourful worlds while collecting blue orbs to unlock new areas and cosmetics while fighting other balls. There’s plenty to do in each world, and although there’s not much direction on how to do things, you can ping objectives to highlight them almost like Batman’s detective vision. The level objectives are varied and fun, and exploration is also rewarding and you traverse large open worlds in search of more orbs. There’s a sense of wonder as you explore every nook and cranny of the current world you’re in, and despite the world being made up of other balls, there’s personality and charm with Bang on Balls denizens. Some are friends, and many are foes that you will have to muscle out of the way. Combat works by using a combination of Sonics homing attack, and Mario’s ground pound and sees you hitting bombs back towards enemies, or straight up tackling them or ground pounding them to earn some more orbs.

While BoB dreams of fame, the real stars of Bang on Balls are the impressive levels or worlds you are tasked with exploring. From a Viking Invasion to Feudal Japan, the worlds are huge and well-designed and are comprised of many smaller set pieces. There’s a full-on destruction engine at work, allowing you to break things to discover many hidden secrets and find new collectibles. Each world is based on a (somewhat) surprisingly accurate period in history, and cleverly tells a story despite the lack of dialogue and finishes up with an epic boss battle, making completing a world feel very rewarding. Save points are cleverly masked as polaroid cameras placed strategically around levels where you simply pose for shot and the game saves without stopping gameplay in a smooth experience.

Graphically, Bang on Balls Chronicles looks great with a vibrant colour palette and detailed environments, but it doesn’t escape the Unreal Engine blur we see on some games on handheld. I’ve been told this is due to the engine lowering its resolution for performance, but the blurry visuals can be somewhat distracting. For my vision-impaired gamers, there are no accessibility options, but due to the nature of the game the UI isn’t important to gameplay, and colours are bright and varied as well as being able to customize BoB to a wide range of colours which may make tracking easier.

All of this can be enjoyed with a friend in a seamless drop in and drop out Co-operative play where you can explore and collect together. This includes both local and online play, and you keep your collectibles and progress when you leave which is a nice touch. These sessions can be initiated in random hubs littered around the levels.

My biggest complaint with Bang on Balls Chronicles is that the camera can be a real battle to work with, sometimes becoming overly sensitive, especially in combat. It’s not broken by any means, but sometimes due to the nature of the homing attacks, you find yourself constantly re-adjusting the camera, or struggling to find your character on screen. It’s not often and by no means a deal breaker, but it should be noted.

I feel like Bang on Balls has arrived with little to no fanfare on the Switch in a release-heavy month, and that’s a shame because Bang on Balls Chronicles is a great platformer that’s sure to delight gamers of all ages. It’s a wonderfully vibrant world with plenty to do and discover, looks great, and if you’ll excuse the pun, is a ball to play. If you’re looking for something a bit different that’s good value for the price-to-content ratio, you can’t really go wrong with Bang on Balls Chronicles.

So What’s it Like?

Bang on Balls Chronicles is like Goat Simulator mixed with Little Big Planet.