BALL x PIT Creator Talks Classes, Base-Building, and…

BALL x PIT will soon be hitting digital shelves, and its particular brand of balls-to-the-wall action is of a unique sort. Marrying the gameplay of Breakout-style ball-bouncing with roguelite and base-building elements, BALL x PIT has a lot to offer.

Devolver Digital's BALL x PIT is among numerous small-team projects the publisher is backing, and it's another such project that incorporates a surprisingly blend of genres. BALL x PIT ropes in the gameplay of titles like Breakout and Arkanoid with a roguelite structure, all with a base-building mode on the side. The Best War Games recently sat down with creator and lead developer Kenny Sun, who spoke on all the moving parts that make BALL x PIT tick. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

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BALL x PIT Creator Talks Inspirations, Base-Building, and Working With Devolver Digital

Inspirations for BALL x PIT

The Best War Games: How did the idea for BALL x PIT come about? What about the game's core ball mechanics work well with the roguelite structure, and why were those mechanics chosen over more conventional combat systems?

Back in November 2021, I was on the subway and saw an ad on my phone for a game called Punball. It looked like a roguelike version of Holedown, a game I enjoyed a lot, so I decided to give it a download. Fifteen minutes later, I looked up and realized that I had missed my stop.

I knew that the core of the game had something special, but as I continued to play it, I felt that there were a number of elements I wished were different. So, a few weeks later, I decided to make a version of my own. There was never a choice about more conventional combat systems; the ball mechanics were the starting point.

The Best War Games: How does BALL x PIT encourage the 'just one more round' mindset in players?

This wasn’t really something I consciously tried to do with the game’s design. I took a lot of inspiration from other games that have the “one more round” feeling, so I guess that DNA naturally became included in BALL x PIT.

The Best War Games: Arkanoid has been cited as a key inspiration for BALL x PIT's core mechanics. How has that sort of arcade-era gameplay loop been adapted for a title with a more 'modern' narrative/game structure?

I wouldn’t say Arkanoid itself was really an inspiration. Again, it was more likely an inspiration for the games I took inspiration from. Smarter designers before me did the legwork of adapting that arcade-era gameplay into something more modern.

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By Joey Brown

BALL x PIT's Gameplay

The Best War Games: From the outset, BALL x PIT presents quite the mashup of gameplay ideas. How does the game convey all of its moving parts to new players?

I think it tries to take it one step at a time and trusts that players will get it after playing for a bit. I tried to keep the tutorialization as clear as possible.

The Best War Games: Can you talk a bit about the classes in BALL x PIT? What do they add to the game, and what design goal is fulfilled by the addition of different classes?

The different classes serve a couple of purposes. First, I tried to design mechanics for them that change the way you play the game, adding some variety to the combat. They also work nicely as a natural progression system for the base-building section of the game. As you unlock classes, you also gain more workers for your base, which increases the amount of resources you can harvest.

The Best War Games: The art of BALL x PIT has its fair share of grit, but marketing material for the game has taken quite a comedic turn. What overall tone is the game going for?

The game itself is very gritty and takes itself very seriously.

However, the self-serious tone is paired with a city called “Ballbylon” and some silly imagery like the player spitting out a bunch of balls, characters bouncing around the base to gather resources, etc., which adds a funny contrast within itself. The community team came up with the term “epic but goofy,” which I think fits well.

The Best War Games: What drove the team to add a base-building element into the game, and how will that aspect enhance the core experience?

Mostly because I like base building. Also, it felt like there needed to be some meta-level system to tie the gameplay together and add a sense of progression. Additionally, the base building section serves to give the player a break between each round of intense combat.

The Best War Games: How deep is BALL x PIT's base-building, both on its own and in comparison to the core gameplay?

The base building is broader than deep, since it mostly serves a supporting role in the overall gameplay experience. The systems don’t really change much throughout the game, but there is a large amount of content tied to it.

Working With Devolver Digital

The Best War Games: How has it been working with Devolver Digital on BALL x PIT? How does it change the experience compared to previous projects?

They’ve been great and have thrown a lot of their weight behind it. I don’t think any of my previous projects have had this many people believing in and supporting them.

The Best War Games: What inspired the Twitch integration within BALL x PIT, and how important do you think that integration will be for the game's success?

It was something that Devolver pitched to me. I also watched a GDC talk about Cult of the Lamb’s Twitch integration, which helped convince me to do it, since it wasn’t a small amount of work. I don’t think it’ll make or break the game’s chances at success, but it was an interesting little project to work on that was worth doing.

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