Ballionaire review – addictive, pinball-inspired strategy game

(Newobject; Raw Fury; PC)
Make virtual millions in this deceptively simple game that’s all about bumpers and the luck of the bounce

From pinball to pachinko, human beings have spent billions of hours fascinated by the capricious effects of physics on a metallic ball. It’s a pastime that, in Ballionaire, has perhaps reached its zenith. The premise is childishly simple: drop a ball into a pyramid-shaped run, then watch, helplessly, as it tinkles toward the gutter at the bottom. On its way, the ball will ricochet off any pins and bumpers it meets in its path, triggering their special effects and gradually accumulating dollar-based points along its wending journey.

Some of the bumpers, which are colourfully rendered as anthropomorphic characters, have straightforward qualities. They might add a little cash to the pot, or spawn a second ball. Others are more complicated, reversing gravity, or teleporting the ball to another spot. At first the board is mostly empty, but after each roll you have the chance to strategically add one of three new bumpers to the layout, thereby increasing the amount of points you can score on your next run.

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