Every night when you go to bed and darkness falls… They come out, from under
the bed, from in the closet, to fight for your bedroom. To steal your
nightmares.

Monster Ball is a turn-based, hex-grid strategy game in which the player
leads an army of green, ball shaped monsters against an identical opposing
army in an attempt to gain control of a child’s bedroom. The title makes use
of a facetious-horror design that provides a sense of levity in an otherwise
murky setting.

Gameplay is founded on the simplicity and plainness of the board game
checkers, with each unit being identical to another in terms of function but
of varying degrees of strength, which is dictated by the size of the monster.
At the beginning of each turn players move one of their respective monster
balls up to two spaces in any direction across the game board. If the monster
ball lands on a space already occupied by an opponent then they battle, with
the larger of the two swallowing the smaller and growing in proportion to the
size of the devoured enemy. In the event that a monster grows too large it
explodes, thereby depriving the player of one of their pieces.

As an additional factor there are numerous special tiles, such as rocket
launchers and fortresses, strewn across the board, which are activated when
landed on. Also present are ‘mystery’ tiles, whose effects vary widely, from
indiscriminate rocket launcher attacks to a functionless shimmer of sparkles.
Depending on the type of tile that is used it will either have only one use,
disappearing afterward, or it will remain on the board for the entirety of the
game; new special tiles occasionally appearing at random on the board to
replace those used.

The game is presented as an assortment of unrelated scenarios, rather than a
cohesive campaign, each with their own theme or play style. Each of the
scenarios has a uniquely sized board and one of two victory conditions;
obliterating all of the enemy monsters or instead capturing their flag.
Additional scenarios can be downloaded within the game to add to those
included with it.

A system of trophy rewards is supported within the game which rewards the
player with either a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum award based on their
accomplishments. Among the available trophies that players can gain are
“Killing Spree”, “Rocketeer”, and “Death or Glory”.

Monster Ball