SP Review: ZJ The Ball (PS4-PS5)

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Sturmvogel Prime
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SP Review: ZJ The Ball (PS4-PS5)

Post by Sturmvogel Prime »

Looks like Breakthrough Gaming is unleashing more of their trash catalogue.
No, not another Arcade game, but along with the Story Three of Project: Summer Ice - Bowling (Pammy Version), they've released a whole new title: ZJ The Ball.

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A friendly ball in a very special mission.

Say hi to ZJ (Pronounced "Zee-Jay"), his mission is to find flowers for his mother. Since the game says "Level 1", it is more than obvious this game will be a multi-part series of games where you'll have to buy the next part each Sunday to continue the story. But from what I've saw on the game, they're pretty much the same (I'll explain this later), so I'll spare you from reviewing each part of the story like with the Project: Summer Ice - Bowling games.



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Bouncin' 'round da 'hood.

At first, ZJ The Ball's gameplay looks like a basic Mario/Alex Kidd/Sonic like platformer where the objective is to go all the way to the right until you get to the end while getting coins for the sake of bonus points, but in this case, the objective here is to get all the Alpha Coins, although they can be Communion Wafers since they have the Alpha in reference to the "Alpha and Omega" from the Bible. These holy coins are scattered across the stage and even on high places, but the platforms aren't high enough to reach them. So, what you'll do? Bounce until you get high enough. In an unexpected move, Breakthrough Gaming decided to use a different formula on the gameplay element as you can bounce nonstop until you reach the upper part of the stage. ZJ The Ball plays with the physics of rebound and gained impulse as its main key mechanic for navigation and exploration, I didn't mention squashing enemies since there's no enemies to stomp or blocks to break, just hop around like an idiot until you get all the coins on each level of World 1. Also, there's no way to die in the game. Not only because there's no enemies, but also there's no time limit or bottomless pits making the whole game look more like the demo of a full platformer.



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In a twist of irony, the robot doesn't have a specific reason to stop ZJ.

After a few levels, a robot named Axel will try to stop you. For some bizzare reasons, it doesn't have a specific reason to justify his own decision of halting ZJ.



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The bottom line of the word "Pathetic".

This is the most pathetic part of the game: Recycling one of the old games, in Level 1's case is Avoid Them from their Breakthrough Gaming Arcade series. Believe it or not, this is your "Boss Battle", where the objective is to avoid to get hit because you'll lose coins if you take a hit.
After this arcade game, the level (and the game) ends, not without a "Buy the next game" announcement with previous of the next games. Remember what I've said about they're pretty much the same? Here's the reason why: The preview for the next game hints another recycled Breakthrough Gaming Arcade as a boss fight, Getting to the Top.

With all said and done with the gameplay, the only thing left to say is the reason to exist of this game which is to grant you 12 easy trophies. 11 Gold Trophies and the Platinum.


Graphically, it's lazy and pathetic as it attempts to be cartoony on the backgrounds, but at least they've bothered to make some parallax scroll with the background cars making the background look kinda 3D-esque with a slight sense of depth. The rotating effect of ZJ looks well rendered too and that's as far as I can go on saying positive things about this game.

The sound department is very well done for a zero-budget christian game. The introduction and the in-game tunes are quite catchy despite being a 10 seconds loop that repeats forever. Also, there's voice samples, 1 to be exact, which is new for Breakthrough Gaming's common low-effort products. They have an idea, but they still have a lot of steps if they want to push their game library somewhere.



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You: Sorry Nadia, but I'm a man, can't play a girls game.

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Gains: *Points the gun to your head* Do what she says or lose your head. Your choice.

You'd rather play "Tea Party" with Nadia Vivie being forced to by a Bydo Gains gun pointing you on the head than playing this. You may look stupid and pathetic even if you're forced with the death threat of getting your head blown out of existence if you don't, but it would not be as much as if you're playing ZJ The Ball or any title of Breakthrough Gaming by your own will and decision.

In the end, ZJ The Ball is a lame attempt to make an incursion into colored 8-bit territory with sorriest simple graphics, but at least it makes a bigger effort on gameplay compared with the rest of Breakthrough Gaming's catalogue since it plays with an experimental, yet simple gameplay mechanic and the music is quite decent despite being 10 second loops.
If you're looking for a "12 trophies in 3 minutes" game, then pick it, but don't be surprised if your brain writes a quitting note while you play and crack some laughs on the mediocrity of this game.



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Lea crying sums up the whole thing.
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