Libra Balance – User Review @ TouchArcade.com
Libra Balance – An enjoyable Ball Roller with great graphics
Libra Balance is Karoly Nyisztor’s debut title on the app store. Sharing the same engine as Karoly’s other game, the Christmas themed “3D Jingle Balls” [Review] it has more content and offers up more of a challenge.
The core gameplay of Libra Balance is not at all complicated, but in practice ends up being pretty challenging and very fun. The entire goal of the game is to guide either 5 or 6 balls depending on the level on a rotating platform into a hole on said platform. The rotations of the platform are controlled via the accelerometer on your device. You must twist and tilt the platform to guide balls into the hole while at the same time keeping the other four balls from falling off the edge. You will have to navigate the balls around objects like columns, traffic cones, barrels, road blocks, and more. If a ball happens to fall off the edge a different result will occur from each difficulty level:
-Easy: The other balls will not be affected; the ball that fell off will just be placed back onto the platform.
-Medium: All balls will be returned to their original starting positions on the platform when another ball falls off (if a ball has already gone through the hole it will not return; only active balls will be returned to starting positions.)
-Hard: Same result as medium, however the catch in this is that all balls will be returned to their starting positions whenever a ball goes through the hole
The level is completed when all balls are put into the hole. You are then awarded a score based on time taken to complete the level as well as whether your balls fell off the platform or not.
High scores are tracked via Agon. The game has autosave which is very nice. There are three difficulty levels as mentioned above. There are also three different level packs unlike 3D Jingle Balls which only has one.
-Playground- The easiest pack. The only obstacles this pack has to offer are hills and indents in the platform. This pack serves as a nice intro into the game.
-Classic- This pack is the first to introduce solid obstacles that you must circumnavigate around with the balls. The levels in this pack are a good bit harder than the ones in playground
- Ancient- The most difficult pack, with an ancient theme. While not introducing anymore gameplay elements, the pack has some very challenging levels. Mix this with higher difficulty level and you have yourself quite a proposition.
The music is very high tempo and gets you excited to play the game. However, it can get slightly repetitive after a while. The sound effects are nothing to write home about, but they get the job done. I do wish there was a ball collision and rolling sound.
The graphics are very well done in 3D. The balls and landscapes look very good on my device and are very smooth. I can tell a lot of work went into the design of the graphics, as they are very detailed. I never had any problems with frame rate. The menus fit the game very nicely matching the look of the game and having balls from the actual gameplay balls rolling around everywhere. The icon is fantastic just as good as the one in 3D Jingle Balls, one of the best on my device.
The content is pretty good, it is no Battle for Wesnoth but you’re getting a fair amount for your money. It has quite a few more levels than 3D Jingle Balls and most levels have a good amount of variety. The game does not feel repetitive to play through. The implementation of high scores also adds a lot of replay value.
I never had a problem with the tilt controls, they are implemented very nicely. However, some may be disappointed to hear that there is no calibration option. You currently are forced to hold the device at a 45 degree angle, which is perfect for me but some may not be acclimated to that position. The physics are spot-on. Remember a ball is going to be more affected by a tilt on the outside of the plate than the center and that you have control of the plate, not the balls. IF you forget this, you might have issues with the controls.
Overall, the game is enjoyable. It could use some more levels, more sound effects, and tilt calibration. What the game does do great is provide a unique experience and great graphics. It provides a more hardcore experience than 3D Jingle Balls with more content, more difficulty, faster rolling balls, and smaller finish holes. The gameplay is fun and I had a great time playing through the game, I can also see myself going back to replay levels and beat my scores to move up the leaderboards. It is a good value at the current price point of 1.99. I would strongly recommend this game to fans of Labyrinth and other Ball-Rollers. There is a lite to try as well if you are not sure.
EDIT The game has just been updated to get rid of the annoying pop-up after each level (there still is a highscore button if you like to check after each level). There were some nice particle effects added to the game as well.
Rankings:
Gameplay: 44/50
Graphics/Artwork: 10/10
Sound and Music: 8/10
Presentation/Polish: 9/10
Replay Value: 7/10
Performance (Stability, Bugs, etc): 10/10
OVERALL: 88%
Get it Here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/libra-balance/id329758637?mt=8
Lite: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/libra-balance-lite-2/id342052249?mt=8
Want More Like This? Try 3D Jingle Balls [.99]: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/3d-jingle-balls/id345606804?mt=8
Review by Will090
Category : Blog
