Project Blue Sphere Two

Project Blue Sphere 2 is a peculiar little game where you guide a blue sphere through a maze collecting objects and fighting off red spheres. The game has a very simple design, but could possibly use a few tweaks.

The Graphics:

The game consists of a number of mazes constructed out of different colored walls on a black background. In a sense, it's good that the setup is so simplistic because this helps the objects in the maze to stand out. But, it's also a bit dull, and it can get tiresome going through the mazes when they all look about the same. As for the objects, there are the different spheres, the little rainbow dots you collect, triggers that look like TNT detonators, and the flag that signals the maze exit. These all look just fine to me, but it'd be nice if the spheres were animated and the mazes had more to offer than colored walls and blackness.

The Sound:

Boops and beeps for when rainbow dots are collected and Green spheres destroyed. I think there was a sound for the triggers, but if there was, it was very faint. I found it odd that colliding with a sphere that killed you only returned you to the start without any sound at all. The sounds used are okay, but it seemed like the game could use a few more to signal events, such as collision with another sphere or the exit appearing.

The Music:

pantsman9 made an...interesting choice of soundtrack for this game. One song plays throughout the whole thing, and it's kind of a trancy-ethnicy-song that doesn't seem to fit the style of the game. It does lull you into a kind of zoned-out state if you play long enough, but I felt that something else might have been more appropriate. Different tracks would also have been nice.

The Gameplay:

Revolves around moving the blue sphere to collect objects and clicking the red spheres with the mouse to eventually turn them green. "Fighting" off the red spheres is the most engaging aspect of the game, as clicking them is harder than it sounds and their movements are sporadic. One click turns them orange, but they're still dangerous like this, and can't be clicked again until 15 seconds later when they turn yellow. Clicking a yellow sphere turns it green, making it safe to collide with and remove from the maze. The system works well enough. You collect the dots, fight off the red spheres and collect them too, and make your way to the exit when it opens.

My only problem with the game is that it was never more than what I just described. Every maze was essentially the same, as all you did in every one of them was explore, collect objects, and fight red spheres. For a puzzle game like this to stay engaging, it needs to introduce new objects and ideas as it progresses. I saw in the game's description mention of a Helper Sphere, but I didn't know how to make one and never encountered a maze with one. This is one innovation that sounds like it could help the monotonous gameplay, but I think pantsman9 would do well to come up with more elements to add to the game progressively. Perhaps add a sphere that can't be destroyed, but moves slowly. Or have special green spheres that turn red when clicked accidentally. The possibilities are there, but not much has been employed.

Overall, this game isn't too bad. It's lacking in a few departments, but it has a solid foundation. More interesting graphics (perhaps a title screen and instructions?) and introduction of new elements would help a lot. A few more sounds and songs could be interesting, but as it is right now, I give the game a:

5/10