Many gamers agree that the 70s and 80s were the golden age of gaming. The arcade industry was booming. This caused more people’s exposure to the concept of video games. Many classics like Breakout, Pac-Man, and Mario Bros. became international icons of the era. These old-school arcade games all have a very distinguished feel. This is likely due to fundamentally being built in a way that induces retrying. That “one more try” mentality was intentionally created to suck players’ quarters dry!
As the industry matured, so did the games themselves. As the focus shifted from arcades to living rooms, video games began to transform. Games no longer necessitated quarters and could be structured differently. Arcade-style gameplay faded into obscurity, as games adapted into a more narrative-focused direction. Thankfully many indie developers still see the potential in that arcade-style gameplay. The folks over at Summitsphere had a ball working on their arcade-inspired platformer, Antonball Deluxe.
3 Games In 1
Antonball Deluxe offers 3 retro-like games in 1 package. Each game features similar gameplay and controls while offering completely different objectives. Players take control of Anton, or one of 20 unlockable characters, rightly dubbed “Ballers” in-game. There are 4 characters available right from the start, with new characters being unlockable via the “Extra” menu. Under the “Lottery” section, players can exchange collected points for a pull on the gotcha style machine. There, players can unlock additional characters and VS stages.
Antonball Deluxe features arcade-style platforming, very comparable to the arcade Mario Bros. Much like the famous mustached plumber, characters in Antonball Deluxe move left and right, and jump. A super jump can also be performed, by holding down while jumping. This is a move first seen in Donkey Kong and even shares the same noise. Additionally, characters can also use a “clutch” ability. This acts very similarly to the “B-Bash” move performed in the Wario Land series. Each of Antonball Deluxe’s games contain their own storyline, centered around a different character. These small cutscenes are very reminiscent of those found in the Wario Ware franchise. These games are also all available for local and online coop. While I didn’t have anyone to test play locally, I was able to play each game mode cooperatively with one of the developers.
Antonball Arcade
The first offering in this compilation is Antonball Arcade. Antonball is a fairly direct remake of their 2020 Game Jam game of the same name. Players are tasked with clearing all the bricks, located on the screen’s right. The gameplay structure is very similar to that of Brickout or Arkanoid. Those titles play from top to bottom, where-as Antonball plays from left to right. Another major difference is that Antonball plays like a platformer, instead of controlling a paddle. Hitting the ball, while pointing a specific direction, will guide the ball. This control scheme takes a bit of getting used to but surprisingly works well. While the controls are responsive, the difficulty here is “ball-bustingly” intense. The left side of the screen has a small opening. If the ball lands in that opening, Anton will lose a life. Guarding the opening can be incredibly difficult, due to the placement of floating platforms.
Each of Antonball Arcade’s levels has a different layout, with varying difficulties. One of the biggest issues Antonball Arcade faces is the imbalance in difficulty levels. Some levels feature enemies which will instantly kill Anton upon contact. The only way to defeat them is with the ball. While a fun twist, it felt like too much to handle at times. The narrow window of time between bounces gives little room for error. The wrong move could cause you to lose your balls! I feel like this mode could use some balancing tweaks to really shine. That said, Antonball Arcade is a very unique blend of two arcade classics. Like its brick-breaking cousins, Antonball Arcade also grants a couple of special abilities. Anton can unlock a shotgun, which grants him 6 shots. In addition to the gun, Anton can also collect additional balls. Both the extra balls and shotgun can be found by breaking specially marked blocks.
Punchball Antonball
The next game in the compilation takes even more inspiration from Mario Bros. Punchball Antonball essentially acts as a spiritual successor to Punch Ball Mario Bros. Many are unfamiliar with the title, due to its exclusive release on 1980s era PCs. Punchball Antonball has players face various waves of enemies. Anton’s only defense is his trusty punchball. Running into the ball will pick it up, and throwing it will knock enemies out. Some enemies can be defeated by strictly throwing the ball at them. Most, however, require Anton running through them, Mario Bros. style.
Players are defeated when coming in contact with enemies on the move. Enemies range from strange gopher-like creatures, snails, to flaming balls of fire. As the stages progress, level hazards can hinder movement and even cause death. For example, ice can drip down from higher platforms. This ice is an instant kill. Icy platforms are also slippery, decreasing traction. Punchball Antonball’s difficulty is definitely on the lighter side, however still presents a great challenge. Later levels can definitely test nerves. Thankfully the later levels are split into different worlds which act as save points.
VS Antonball
VS Antonball pits 4 players against each other in a competitive twist to Antonball. 2 teams of 2 must race to destroy the opposing team’s brick wall. The first team’s wall to fall loses the match. Admittedly, finding an online match during pre-release was near-impossible. Thankfully the devs were nice enough to join in and play! The same rules as regular Antonball apply. Special blocks containing guns and multiple balls are aplenty. VS. Antonball is incredibly frantic, especially when multiple balls bounce from all sides. This mode was a blast to play and definitely would make for a fun evening with friends. I just really hope finding an online match is easier once the game is in more player’s libraries.
Baller Audio & Video
The Antonball Deluxe package is an audio-video blast from the past. The retro-influence is on full display, with the 16-bit inspired visuals. In-game, the sprites are very reminiscent of early Super Nintendo games. The cutscenes, mentioned earlier, are more in line with a Game Boy Advance title. The audio also follows this trend. In-game, everything from walking, jumping, and killing enemies makes a distinct noise. These little jingles are a huge call-back to the arcades.
The music in-game however is strikingly similar to the Mario Bros. arcade music. Strikingly is a bit of an understatement, as many of the melodies seem ripped straight out of the arcade title. Music on the main menu and in cutscenes are heavily influenced by Wario Ware, all the way down to the distinct grunts. Thankfully these audio tracks appear to be completely original, unlike those found early on in-game. Later levels have their own audio tracks, the beginning levels’ uncanny resemblance to Mario Bros. just came off as a very “ballsy” move.
Having A Ball
Antonball Deluxe offers up 3 completely different experiences, all fundamentally build on the same framework. Antonball Deluxe combines arcade platforming and brick-breaking action to form a very unique experience. Punchball Antonball took a game concept once thought to be lost to time and revitalized it in a super fun way. VS. Antonball offers an ever so competitive spin on the brick-breaking action, that will be the highlight of a friendly get-together. Regardless of the mode chosen, Summitsphere wants you playing with balls!
The team continues their hard at work, constantly releasing stability patches. These updates will continue to fix more bugs found once the game hits a larger player base. Once the online features start working, as more players are online, Antonball Deluxe will be a blast to play cooperatively. The online leaderboards encourage returning for more Anton madness, to compete globally and with friends. The gameplay formula is incredibly addicting and truly feels like something of the 80s. Antonball Deluxe is a package of retro-inspired goodness that will scratch that arcade itch.
Antonball Deluxe is available now for $19.99 USD on PC via Steam, with a Nintendo Switch release planned in the near future.
A digital copy of the game was provided by Summitphere for the purpose of this review.
