The newly released open-world platformer, The Canon of Balls, offers a unique and challenging experience for players, blending the architectural grandeur and unforgiving nature of Dark Souls with the physics-based gameplay of Super Monkey Ball. The game also draws inspiration from the works of Fumito Ueda and the parkour elements of Minecraft.
Players control a statue's face with a fleshy pink tongue, situated inside a rolling cage. This tongue can be used as a springboard to navigate the game's environments. The opening area, for example, requires players to traverse the interior of a cathedral, using the rolling cage and tongue to reach an enormous dangling brazier.
The developers, Helios Monk, describe the game as an "abrasive" experience, aiming to build fatigue through constant stimuli such as the sound of the metal cage against stone and the visual of spinning hoops. This is punctuated by the satisfying "dink" of a successful platform landing. The game's aesthetic, featuring stone faces and tongues, is characterized as "grotesqueness" rather than a post-ironic trend.
Helios Monk claims to have achieved a "non-repetitive, non-modular open world" by eschewing traditional modular level design kits. The influence of FromSoftware is evident in the gloomy and intricate architecture, with features like rotating blade traps suggesting a nod to Sen's Fortress. Ueda's touch can be seen in the organic and sometimes obscure platforming routes, as well as the presence of a large stone bird with a key. The Super Monkey Ball connection is attributed to the core rolling mechanic.
Regarding Minecraft's influence, the developers cite the shared experience of playing parkour maps. They envision players engaging in competitive races for collectibles or cooperating to navigate challenges, emphasizing that the core mechanics function solo but the "true social moments" are central to the experience. While not featuring dedicated co-op mechanics, the developers encourage playing with others to share the thrill of the gameplay.
The Canon of Balls is available now on Steam. It is priced at $3.39, €2.97, and £2.88, reflecting a launch discount.