Roll-a-ball platformers have a special place in my heart because it was cult classic Ballance that became my first YouTube uploads back in 2008. AtmaSphere 2 is sequel to the 2018 original where you guided a rolling ball through various Medieval caverns and dungeons. In this sequel, the ball has broken free and is travelling across snowy Medieval mountain paths. Its a tricky obstacle course platformer that does a lot right but has also released with some interesting quirks.
Across 40 levels, you’ll traverse increasingly difficult levels that are narrow and require good timing and precise movements. You’ll need to roll over spike traps, avoid swinging boulders and cannonball fire, dodge squashers and roll along narrow metal wires. You’ll also be jumping a lot too as platforms fall away or pinball like traps will push you off the path. It starts off quite gently with a few easy levels to help you get to grips with the handling. You ball doesn’t seem to be affected by gravity as if you stop moving on a slope, the ball stays still and doesn’t roll back down it. The ball has weighty momentum though so expect it have a sludgy lazy roll when trying to change direction. You get used to it over time but initially it feels a bit too fluffy.
As you complete levels, you’ll collect thousands of coins and smash various vases. These all generate money to buy the 62 aesthetic skins for your ball which is a nice touch. They also give you emblems when you collect or smash them all. These sit alongside your gold, silver or bronze awards for completing a level within a certain time limit. You don’t need to meet a time goal to unlock the next level though, you just need to finish it. That isn’t guaranteed though because if you get hit by traps too many times, your ball will shatter and you’ll have to start again. AtmaSphere 2 is generous with lives but I still met my end many times in the hard and impossible levels. Its not until those later levels that the game really hits its stride but its also where some problems start to arise.
Perspective. When viewing a game from one camera angle, sometimes it can be tricky to see where you need to go. In theory AtmaSphere 2 has a moving camera but it rarely seemed to work. In fact it was that broken, I could count the amount of times on one hand it worked! This meant I had to work out what level furniture was actually in my way. Normally you’d be able to understand this visually but AtmaSphere 2’s level design loves to place a box at the end of a line of boxes that juts out diagonally. You roll and go to jump – you’ll gently hit the box and fly off at a different trajectory. I’m hoping this will be fixed to allow proper free camera movement when the game releases because most of my frustration with AtmaSphere 2 came from this combination of problems. Yes, the level design is a naughty at times, but I’d feel like I had a fair chance if I could line myself up properly. The other warning I’ll give is that if you have any analogue stick drift whatsoever – play with your keyboard instead! It makes life so much easier.
AtmaSphere 2 is a great homage to the roll-a-ball puzzler series. What it lacks in visual diversity (its very snowy and wooden boxy) it makes up for in challenge. If the camera issue gets sorted, this will be a very solid pick up for any genre fans. Any fans of the original will also love this one too. It is an improvement on the original which was already decent and cheap to begin with.
Review copy provided by developer. Out now on Steam.
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