If you’re looking for a new puzzle game that will suck up some time then give Psychoballs a shot. This game developed by Jochen Heizmann and published by Intermediaware has recently become free to download to your PC. This game just like any puzzle game requires you to do some thinking. However with Psychoballs you better think and click quickly before time runs out.
This game would best be described as a combination of Pipe Dream and Tetris. In each of the 50 levels you are given systems of intricate pipes. In these pipes you have spinners which you have to fill with four of the same colored balls in order to make them explode and turn green. Once you have exploded all the spinners on a level in the time provided you will move to the next level. Of course it isn’t as easy as it sounds, because there are several obstacles to overcome. Beamers will teleport your ball to the opposite beamer. Painters will change the color of your ball. Blockers will allow only certain color balls through. Lastly, arrows will define the path your ball is allowed to take. The Tetris-like part of this game is first you are told what color the next ball will be, and secondly, you have not only a set amount of time to complete the level but you also have to place a ball in a spinner in a certain amount of time.
The controls to Psychoballs are as simple as just clicking your mouse to either spin the spinners or to send a ball in a certain direction. The graphics are very basic; even set on the highest resolution they were a bit grainy but it doesn’t affect the game play. The music is very 80’s with a synthesizer quality to it. It is up-beat and helps get you moving.
The only thing I didn’t really like about this game was the way the time meter was set up. Instead of just having a bar tell you the remaining time, you are given a circle that drains in color as time progresses. As time would begin to run out, it was very unclear how “empty” the circle was. The only way I knew I was running out of time was the final five-second countdown that appears. Other than just that one point I enjoyed this game. It is very addicting and will easily suck up a lot of your time. Plus with it being free there is really no reason not to download it.
