Considering I’ve been addicted to twin-stick shooters for almost two decades, and Rogue-lites for a decade, combining the two will get my interest 100% of the time. In the case of Go Mecha Ball, it won me over on that basis alone, but got extra-special attention with its gimmick – rolling into a ball to attack enemies at a frantic pace. Akin to niche titles like Sonic 3D Blast or Super Monkey Ball, it’s safe to say there isn’t much on the market that plays like Go Mecha Ball manages to, based on its trailers. Though does it create a winning formula?

The main draw of Go Mecha Ball being its namesake of thrusting your ball at enemies between shots is pure exhilaration. Not a shoehorned mechanic, it almost feels one-to-one in how effective it is compared to any gun you utilize. Considering the only way to get your ammunition is using this attack and with an exceptionally short cooldown, it’s something you’ll be using every few seconds, whether it’s careening towards a baddie or escaping certain danger. You can even prevent enemy attacks from launching if you hit them with your mech at just the right time. It never gets old despite its obligation of use.

As your run progresses in Go Mecha Ball, you’ll have to take on some intimidating bosses. Luckily, you can stop at a shop right beforehand, which offers health, weapons, abilities, and upgrades before the battle ahead. I found myself struggling at each boss battle, but with a careful approach and learning patterns, managed to have pretty long runs each time I persisted.

In between said runs, you can choose to randomly purchase either new weapons, new abilities, or new upgrades that you select in the interim of levels. I found this to be my only pain point because you start off with such a small fraction of each and have to grind it out to unlock everything.

I was completely zoned-in during my time with Go Mecha Ball. As the high framerate, divine vibrancy of colors, and perfect level of difficulty made for an off-the-wall, stellar experience. The last time combat had me this glued to the screen was DOOM Eternal, and the last Rogue-lite to sucker me in this much was Rogue Legacy 2. Bumping enemies off the map, denying boss attacks with just a sliver of health to spare, and picking up a new weapon for the first time all created a thrill ride from start to finish.

I have no doubt that I will be plugging away at Go Mecha Ball for several hours to come. It appears to run perfectly on Steam Deck despite not being verified as of yet, so that will be my platform of choice. For those who are compelled to pick it up, it’s currently a Day One Game Pass title as well. After Cavern of Dreams and OTXO, Go Mecha Ball is cementing Super Rare Originals as my new favorite publisher. This only makes me even more excited for their upcoming titles like Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip and Completely Stretchy. For now, I’ll be grinding Go Mecha Ball with joy.

A PC review copy of Go Mecha Ball was provided by Super Rare Originals for the purposes of this review.

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Go Mecha Ball

$19.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Fluid, Tight Gameplay
• Mesmerizing Visuals
• Fine-Tuned Difficulty

Cons

• Too Few Starting Weapons