It’s another ball shooter. And it’s underwater. So at some level, you have seen this before. But don’t let that spoil your fun, because the developers knew all of this, and went out of their way to make this a fresh and original underwater ball shooter. I guess they like a challenge.

They start by enclosing the entire play area in a sort of circular hoop that keeps the ball from leaving the play area at all very often. This not only makes the game substantially easier, it makes it play a lot more like pinball than Arkanoid. Because of the circularity of the arena, sometimes it’s a long wait to get your balls back out of the loop and where you can paddle them. This alone makes the game pretty easy, because your balls rarely come down to where you have to stop them, and when they do, the exit-space is rather small. But additionally, this game has enormous balls. And they are slow besides. Unless you have hit a ball-speed bonus or something, it’s hard to miss one of these big, slow ponderous balls – so you’re likely to breeze through the first few levels without a hitch. While this is a gift to unskilled players, it can make the game a bit slow and ponderous to more skilled players. It gets harder as the game continues, but it’s questionable if some hardcore players will wait that long before dismissing the game as too easy.

There are a lot of other neat touches in the game. One of my favorites is a “bonus ball” system that saves all of the balls you have in the level in a bonus ball lineup and gives you treats as you get more and more. This solves a problem I always have with these games that I always feel cheated when the game strips me of my excess balls at the end of a level. There’s also lots and lots of neat pickups - just about everything you break produces some kind of pickup. Since you’re often waiting a while before your balls drop from the pinball-like bounce-chamber, this is a good thing. Even the blocks themselves are neat. Everything moves and animates, giving the game a very active feel, and making the ball-aiming a bit more challenging.

On the down side, aside from often playing a bit slow and easy, the music is pretty poor. There is also no “button action” on the paddle, which is sad. I really like the games that make the paddle jump or hyperbounce or something when you press the mouse button. Seems like most other games are working something in with that button, and I’m spoiled now. Also, the bonus memory game is pretty lame. This is a shout out to all developers everywhere: If you’re wanting to add a quick bonus game – memory matching is not cool. It’s trite and annoying. There, I’ve said it. Don’t make me say it again.

But those issues aside, this is a relatively innovative Arkanoid-type ball shooter that has a very low barrier to entry. So if you want a nice relaxing trip under the sea to bounce some balls, this is your game. Enjoy.

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