Ballmaster

About

Ballmaster casts you as Ballmyr, a knight exiled by his king and sentenced to death after completing a morally dubious mission. Instead of a sword, your weapon is a rolling ball, literally. The game tasks you with navigating Ballmyr through shifting platforming challenges across three distinct realms: Purgatory, Hell, and Heaven. Each level emphasizes precise movement, combining jumps, rolls, and environmental interactions to reach the next tier. The story leans into absurdity with its talk of soul challenges and divine titles, but the core gameplay stays focused on tight controls and increasingly punishing obstacles. What stands out is the blend of retro platforming mechanics with a bizarre, self-aware narrative that never takes itself seriously. Developer Brandon Souders leans into the intentionally cheesy tone, letting the over-the-top story contrast with the game's old-school difficulty curve. While the PC release hasn't attracted massive attention, fans of punishing 2D platformers with a dash of campy humor have noted the level design sharpens notably in the Heaven act. Expect to die a lot, but the rolling mechanic feels responsive enough to keep you trying again.

Storyline

You take control of Ballmyr, a pure-hearted knight of Ballencia. He was sent out under the order of King Ball to do some nasty work to innocent people. As he returned, King Ball ordered his execution! Betrayed, Ballmyr had no means to run because he followed his King. Unknown in the shadows, Death Ball was watching. It was the perfect timing for Ballmyr, because his soul was both pure and corrupt, so Death Ball gave him a challenge for his soul only known to God and Death Ball, the Challenge of Ballmaster! If Ballmyr can roll his way out of Purgatory, up through Hell and all the way to Heaven to plea to God Ball himself, God Ball will award him the title of Ballmaster and his new chance at life.