Review: Pig Eat Ball

The first thing that came into my mind when I started reviewing this game was WHERE WERE THESE DEVELOPERS’ HEADS WHEN THEY CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA?? Because seriously… this is by far the wackiest game I’ve played in months! Developed by the North American studios Mommy’s Best Games and Super Soul and published by Mommy’s Best Games, Pig Eat Ball is a top-down action-adventure game with the most objective name for a game you could ask for. Curious about it? Slow down. We will get there.

Playing as Princess Bow, you will eat all tennis balls you can find while participating in the Royal Games, a competition created by her dad, the King Cake, where the winner gets the right to marry her. But Princess Bow has other ideas in her mind instead of getting married and enters the competition herself under disguise – and I don’t know about you, but I can already smell trouble ahead! Now let’s not haste and take a minute to digest everything Mommy’s Best Games presented in this crazy game.

What do you do? In Pig Eat Ball you will explore interconnected space stations where the Royal Games are taking place. These Games consist in hundreds of action-puzzle levels where you eat, get fat (oh, so rude!) and barf (literally!) on things and creatures to solve challenges and get the pearls that will grant you the 1^st place in the competition. To aid you in these challenges, you will use different disguises that give you pros and cons that can help you overcome the challenges and win these games. Are you ready?

• Exuding originality: This month I had the opportunity to review very different games and a few of them deserve all the praise for bringing a totally new experience to the table, something I couldn’t compare to any other games out there. And Pig Eat Ball is one of these games. We will discuss what makes this game so special in the upcoming topics, but just keep in mind that Mommy’s Best Games delivered a handful of originality in this project. And this exactly what the gaming industry needs the most: studios willing to try new experiences, new genres, new games! I acknowledge that and hope others do it too.
• Visuals: The visuals for Pig Eat Ball are one of a kind! From the moment I started the game, I started to wonder what I was diving into. And I have no regrets! The beautiful and crazy 2D world of this title looks very strange with its inhabitants and different themed stations, but once you get into its vibe, you will stop wondering ‘what the hell is that’ you see and will start paying attention to the incredible level of detail of its scenarios, characters and their animations. And I assure you Mommy’s Best Games hasn’t spared efforts to make it a truly impressive world!
• Gameplay: You control Princess Bow through the interconnected stations to get access to the Royal Games. To win these games you will need to dash and eat your way out to the finish line. But as you eat, our little pig princess starts getting fat, which may cause her to get stuck in tight corridors. And what do we do when it happens? We barf the balls we’ve eaten making her squeeze down so she can overcome these obstacles.
• The Royal Games: The Games are held by the Royal Clams, faithful servants of the king that give the winners the so desired pearls. Games consist mostly of eating all tennis balls as fast as you can, sometimes with a twist like not taking damage (and spreading the bacon on the floor). Some games have you directly competing against 3 NPCs for the highest score. When outside the games, you can explore the levels and solve puzzles that will give you new disguises that will enhance one of your abilities in exchange for one another (like increasing your speed at the cost of your maximum health). Looking for all the disguises is part of the fun and will have you looking under every rock you find them all! During each challenge, you can use some very useful single-use power-ups that can give you a small – but welcome – advantage. Just please don’t go telling everyone, ok? This is going to be our little secret.
• Sound: The sound in this game is absolutely a hit! Every music and sound effects perfectly fit the atmosphere of the game. The themed songs of each station will stick to your ears for a long time. They are all cheerful and a perfect example of how to use the keep the player engaged with the adventure. I must confess I left the controller on the couch just to listen to its music while writing this review. The sound effects of Princess Pow barfing and battling her way through the Royal Games are comical – especially the pillbugs – and enrich your experience in the funniest way possible!
• Multiplayer mode: Ok, ok… I didn’t see it coming, but Mommy’s Best Games added a multiplayer mode where you and up to three more friends can compete in the 4-player minigames of the campaign. They are simple, but still fun to play with friends to compete for the higher score.
• Empowerment message: It may have slipped in the crazy world of this game, but Pig Eat Bal carries a curious message of empowerment: since our Princess wants to explore the world and her father wants her to get married, she enters the Royal Games to earn the rights to decide for herself what to do. Go on, princess! We are all with you!

Timed challenges: This one here is very a personal complaint: I suck with timed challenges. Only by completing each one of the Royal Games, you already receive a bronze medal. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not the kind of person who is satisfied with only a bronze when I can get the gold one, no sir. So, I always go for the gold – which usually consists of beating the challenges in an almost impossible time – which usually demands a lot of retries. So, if you have a similar problem, please try to control yourself, will you?

It can become tiresome: Even with so much variety and in levels and gameplay elements, the game still felt a little repetitive and tiresome after long sessions (especially while I was trying to get all golden medals). Consider playing it in short sessions like, let’s say, one area of the station per time – and the game will stay interesting for longer.