The year is 1976. The talk of the town is Breakout, an action game that basically turned Pong into a PvE experience, challenging players to bounce a ball around an arena in order to destroy layers of bricks. The technology on display is mind-blowing. How do those wizards at Atari do it?
The year is 2025. The talk of the town is Ball x Pit, an action game that basically turned Breakout into a precision-engineered serotonin dispenser cleverly disguised as a roguelike. You build a base, combine balls, and happily plug away at unlocks like a pigeon pecking the big red food button.
300,000 people bought Ball x Pit in five days across PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch (Switch 2 release coming this fall). The people yearn for the balls.
"Thank you all!!!!" developer Kenny Sun said of Ball x Pit's smashing launch, using an appropriate number of exclamation points for a dev who's been at this for at least a decade and finally hooked a whopper release.
"Been too overwhelmed for a formal announcement post but BALL x PIT came out yesterday and I'm stunned by the response!" Sun said a few days ago on Bluesky. "I'm very grateful to everyone who helped make it possible."
On all platforms, but on Steam especially, Ball x Pit is soaking up enviable user reviews, sitting at over 3,000 95% positive on Valve's store. It's a simple, easy to pick up, hard to put down game about balls. Just what the doctor ordered: a roguelike. Add it to the list alongside Godbreakers, Megabonk, Slots & Daggers, and oh no they just keep coming, how am I to play them all?
Our Ball x Pit review praises the flow state of combat, even if combat eventually gets repetitive.
