Snowball!! review
:: PINBALL WONDERLANDPrice: $1.99
Version: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPad Air 2
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Pinball is only as good as the design of the table you're playing on. I've always found that when a table can really surprise you with new and interesting things after multiple plays, it's special. This seems to be what Snowball!! is all about. It's a wonderful little pinball game with a lot of charm.
Wintery pinball
Snowball!! is a winter-themed pinball game where your ball is actually a giant snowball and there are igloos, pine trees, and other cold-weather trappings strewn about. Your goal is simply to play pinball, and either go for a high score or try to trigger and explore new elements of the table.
If you're looking for multiple tables or other flashy gimmicks, you won't find them in Snowball!! Instead, you'll find a really good and fair pinball table with a surprising amount of stuff to do in it.
Melt away the layers
In Snowball!!, you tap the sides of the screen to activate flippers to hit your snowball. You can also swipe on the screen to nudge your ball in a particular direction, which alleviates issues with you ball falling right between your flippers.
On top of this, there are context-sensitive elements in Snowball!! that you can activate when your ball comes near. There are tesla coils, train cars, launchers, and even an accelerator ring that you can use to help you reach different areas of the table or pick up extra points. There's also a little ToDo list that pops up when you pause the game that give you little missions to try and tackle when you play.
Cold simplicity
I find Snowball!!'s straightforward approach to pinball really refreshing. It's a score chasing game that I can easily lose myself in. Part of that is because Snowball!! doesn't have an agenda beyond what it's offering.
It's not a free-to-play game. There are no upgrade mechanics. There are no unlocks. There are no additional tables to buy. It's just a that delivers precisely one thing: good pinball. Even as someone who is not a huge pinball fan, I can really appreciate this approach to making a game.
The bottom line
Snowball!! is a remarkably straightforward pinball game, which might be a good or bad thing depending on who you are. I imagine this game won't quite appeal to folks that loved what PinOut!! did to pinball on mobile, for example. It's not the deepest experience in the world, but it doesn't really have to be. Much like a fresh snowfall, Snowball!! is best appreciated for its simple purity.