What would happen if Pac-Man got fatter while he ate? At some point he’d go big, he’d get stuck in the maze, right? How would you get unstuck? In Pig Eat Ball you get to barf your way back down to size!
Get fatter while you eat! Barf as a last resort!
Scarf and Barf
There are hundreds of action-puzzle levels in Pig Eat Ball. And in each one you simply need to eat all the balls in the level to win. But things get tricky here! As you eat, you’ll get fatter. And sometimes you’ll need to barf and shrink back down to size to fit through certain areas. But you’ll still need eat all the balls—even those barf-covered ones!
Growing fat, getting stuck, and barfing is the first twist in the game. But I’ve worked with my small team for 4 years to pack in tons of interesting gameplay. I love the feeling of getting to a new world in a game and seeing ALL NEW things. New art! New enemies and NPCs to interact with! In Pig Eat Ball there are five GIANT worlds like this and each one is packed with new fun things to do.
The challenge in the game is moderate. This is not the Dark Souls of anything (okay maybe of Pac-Man?) What keeps the game interesting to keep playing is the heaps of hand-crafted levels, and the balance between exploration and chaotic action.
Each world has some really bizarre boss fights!
Fast Action, Bit of Puzzle
Besides fighting cool monsters, I love games with exciting secrets. I want something cool to find! Not just basic collectables. So in Pig Eat Ball we have “disguises”. In the story, your character “Bow” is incognito, entering into a special contest. She has to wear a disguise the whole time. These disguises are not only fun because they change your appearance, they also alter your gameplay!
Each disguise has at least one Pro and one Con. For instance, the Robot Head disguise has a Pro of “ball magnetism” (which is great!) but a Con of lowering your ball suction. When you find a new disguise hidden in an over-world, it’s a big treasure!
I personally love big adventure games like Super Mario Galaxy, or Okami, or Ratchet and Clank series. Fun fact, I worked on a few R&C’s for Insomniac Games years ago!
Secrets at Your Pace
Basically I like classic action games that are set in a big, adventure-filled world, that you can keep coming back to night after night, unfolding the story and making progress. So in Pig Eat Ball, we have a robust level editor that let us create all sorts of action-based “light-puzzle” levels. We also carefully managed how long they take to beat.
This is merely part of 1/4th of over-world 2!
That brings me to speed running! I can remember back in college, playing Sonic CD and competing with my roommate for the best times on each level. It was so fun to eke out just another half-second and get the new fastest time. For Pig Eat Ball, we’ve made sure all the levels fit the “fun for new players but also great for speed-running” mentality. I love figuring out a new trick in one of our levels and getting through it even faster.
PEB on PS4
I’d love to come back and tell you more! Arcade homages! Party mode! Stories of unrest among the native Pillbug inhabitants!
But for now, I’m searching for those interested in the same sort of game. Do you like action-puzzle games like Super Monkey Ball? Have you ever wanted to barf on everything? Do you like exploring overworlds and looking for secrets? (Anyone remember Transformers on the PS2? Great exploration!)
I love tricky levels like this, with so many moving parts and new things to figure out!
Do you like mechanical, clock-like levels that are fun to figure out? Then keep your eye on Pig Eat Ball coming to PS4 in Spring 2018!
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