Originally posted November 22nd on the Seafoam Gaming forums

Title: Ballpoint Universe: Infinite

System: Wii U (eShop)

Price: $4.99

Release date: 10/16/2014

The main game/story

This is a game that tries to combine the genres of platforming with side-scrolling shooting. Some of my favorite games are part of those genres, so I certainly have high expectations for this game.

Taking place in a unique world made all out of ink, you play as an unknown creature who is created from a place called the “Idea Spring”, where all of the creatures are brought to life. However, the world is not peaceful, and this unknown creature will soon learn how to fight to defend his home…

Graphics

From the moment you first start the game, you can see what this game is inspired by. The main menu is a notebook! All of the characters are made from ink, and the whole world looks like it was literally drawn to life. Though for some odd reason, not all of the details on the TV screen appear on the gamepad. Besides the lack of off-TV play, it just doesn’t seem to look that nice at all on the gamepad, with confusing menus among many other problems, meaning the TV is where the art style really shines.

Music and sound effects:

The music in this game is barely noticeable at first. To be honest I was more engrossed into the world of the game to the point I didn’t notice the music until much later in the game. It still does the job however, and the sound effects work as they should.

Gameplay

At first, you’ll be in the platforming segment of the game. This is where you can wander around the world at your own pace, looking for sidequests, and maybe finding a golden sketch or two. This is a really fun part of the game, and I like exploring every nook and cranny to see what goodies I can discover before setting out on my next mission. The only problem here is the fact that when you jump, your character falls like a rock, which led to numerous retries whenever I was trying to get up to explore further.

However, this isn’t what the game focuses on. Instead, the game is mainly focused on the side-scrolling shooter segments, where you can use the resources you found in the platforming segment of the game to upgrade your ship, before being sent out to fight enemies and bosses. This portion of the game works fine, and it’s actually quite addicting to try to complete it as fast as you can in order to get better parts for your ship. Sadly besides that it’s pretty lackluster, meaning the best part of the game ends up being the exploration for the golden sketches.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Ballpoint Universe is a decent attempt at combining two beloved genres together. However, it doesn’t have that “hook” factor other games from the genres have, and therefore it got confusing at some points and made me lose interest later on. But if you can look past those faults, you’ll find a decent addition to your Wii U library with this unique little game. I give Ballpoint Universe Infinite a 6 out of 10

Thanks to Arachnid games for the review code.