Boom Ball for Kinect is one of the few Kinect titles on Xbox One, but it delivers surprisingly solid fun. Here’s my full review!
From a first‑person perspective, you use both hands to deflect incoming balls back into the playfield, aiming to smash all the blocks. Instead of demanding pixel‑perfect precision, your hands appear to wield oversized paddles, which makes the controls feel intuitive and satisfying.
In practice, the Kinect 2.0 sensor tracks your movements flawlessly—every miss is entirely your fault! When only a few blocks remain, the game switches into “Boom Ball” mode automatically, raising the stakes for your final save.
Image Source: Boom Ball Game
Levels & Variety
With 55 handcrafted levels, Boom Ball cleverly varies its block patterns and layouts. Some stages even feature Portal‑style warp holes that fling balls back at you from unexpected angles, forcing you to stay on your toes.
Ball Stacking Frenzy
Unlike traditional paddle games where only one ball is in play, Boom Ball can stack multiple balls at once—six, nine, even a dozen—turning the screen into a frenzied cascade of bouncing spheres.
Star Rating & Replay Value
Your goal in each level is to clear all blocks and collect up to three stars. Stars are awarded based on completion time and accuracy: earn Silver or Gold for faster clears and fewer misses. Chasing a full three‑star run on every stage adds real replay value.
Controls & Accessibility
The UI is refreshingly simple: just wave to hit balls, duck or lean to adjust your paddle position, and watch the fun unfold. Newcomers can breeze through the early levels, while completionists have plenty of challenge chasing perfect star ratings.
Value Proposition
At a modest price (about R$ 19 on the Xbox Store), Boom Ball offers hours of genuine family‑friendly entertainment—perfect for holiday gatherings, even though it lacks a multiplayer mode.
Overall, Boom Ball for Kinect does exactly what it promises: an energetic, easy‑to‑pick‑up block‑smashing experience that showcases Kinect’s strengths. Definitely worth trying if you still have Kinect 2.0 hooked up!
Verdict
- Graphics
- Interface
- Entertainment
- Gameplay
- Features
Summary
Boom Ball for Kinect is a very well-made game. In addition to being fun to play, it responds well, and you feel totally “integrated” into the game world. The fact that you can complete the game in such a short time and presents repeated challenges makes the player a little tired.
Another point to highlight is that there is no multiplayer mode and nothing that will bring you closer to other people. On the other hand, for the price of R$ 19 – in Brazil for example, it is acceptable. Although the game appears to be aimed at children, this is not quite the case. Therefore, I can say that any age is super welcome to the game and it is worth every penny invested.