BALL x PIT Review

Vampire Survivors meets Breakout and a whole lot of balls

Genre names for games can be a little like music, in that mashups, offshoots, and new styles are seemingly born every few years. Sure, putting a label on something is pure marketing and something that is more retail or platform-focused than an actual descriptor. That said, it’s super helpful, and much in the same way the “lofi dreamwave drum and bass” label on a new piece of music grabs my attention, “block-breaking, base-building survival roguelite,” does the same.

BALL x PIT is a new, engaging, and fun gaming experience from developer Kenny Sun and Devolver Digital, and is best described by that little quote lifted from the game’s Steam page. It is all of those things, yet it still feels fresh and new, even if its overall framework makes it the latest game that draws a big chunk of its inspiration from the fantastic “hey, is this game playing itself” Vampire Survivors.

BALL x Pit

Genre: Survival Roguelite
Developer: Kenny Sun
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Release Date: October 16, 2025
Classification:
Author: Kosta Andreadis
Date: October 20, 2025

Like the various balls you wield and combine to take out waves of enemies that arrive in a formation from the top of your screen that’s reminiscent of retro hits like Arkanoid, Breakout, and Galaga, it’s a fusion of several things. And we could list them, and probably will, but that’s essentially the game review version of a genre label. And with that, the core BALL x PIT experience is a riff on Arkanoid, multi-ball Pinball, and the bullet-hell action of Raiden. Here, you line up and shoot various types of balls and then watch and dodge enemy projectiles as they bounce around the screen. 

"Much in the same way the 'lofi dreamwave drum and bass' label on a new piece of music grabs my attention, 'block-breaking, base-building survival roguelite,' does the same."

It’s a simple setup, but BALL x PIT’s mix of ball-types and controllable heroes that feel like they’re ripped out of an action-RPG adds a layer of surprise that carries through most of the 20 hours or so it took me to complete the final stage or level for the first time. Like Vampire Survivors, the block-sized enemies you dispatch with bouncing balls drop experience gems, and every time you level up, your RPG-like character stats level up for that run. You can also choose from a lineup of random rewards covering things like new additional ball types to shoot, existing ball types to improve or fuse, and passive abilities that can dramatically change the game.

There’s fire, chill, area-of-effect, and other types of ball damage you’d expect to find. Still, where BALL x PIT excels and feels like one of the more engaging survival roguelite games out there is with its lineup of heroes and the initially weird but satisfying base-building mini-game that’s used for all of those permanent roguelite upgrades and unlocks. 

Heroes not only have their initial ball of choice but also fun abilities and even attributes that transform the game: from carrying a large shield to deflect and bounce balls, through to heroes that fire their balls from the top of the screen. There’s even one late-game hero that successfully turns the frantic action of the core BALL x PIT experience into a strategic turn-based affair. And it works.

"Where BALL x PIT excels and feels like one of the more engaging survival roguelite games out there is with its lineup of heroes and the initially weird but satisfying base-building mini-game... "

With runs that take around 15-20 minutes to complete, and a slow but steady ramping up of the difficulty that sees you playing the game at 2X speed in no time, the pyrotechnic fireworks and screen full of flashing lights and other effects are offset by the more measured base-building side of the game. Here, you place buildings and resources on a map, which can be everything from a building that unlocks a new hero to a building that increases one particular stat for all of your heroes. Everything costs resources to build, and once per run, you can use your heroes to both construct new buildings and collect resources like wheat and wood by firing them off and watching them hit and bounce between the various tiles.

It’s both a silly and ingenious for what could have been a pure between-run string of menu screens for progression and unlocking new elements, and it is the one side of the game that takes a few runs to grasp how it works. Ultimately, it adds an engaging city builder-lite mini-game on top of the frantic action of firing off numerous balls at enemies, and BALL x PIT is all the better for it. In fact, it helps make the game more endearing by being another part of the overall game that feels like the best kind of mashup, which still involves bouncing balls.

"... one of the best Vampire Survivors-like games out there."

In the end, even though BALL x PIT becomes relatively “easy” to complete once you’ve got a chunk of upgrades and your ball-town is thriving, it’s still one of the best Vampire Survivors-like games out there. This is saying something because there are a lot of them, and I’ve tried many thanks to the Steam Deck. It succeeds whether others fail to capture your attention, not because it offers a new spin on this particular style of game, but because it captures the feeling of frantic fun, growing in power, creativity through building, and, of course, diving a little deeper to tackle a new dungeon for one more ball-filled run.

What’s Boss?

  • Fantastic fusion of styles and genres
  • A mix of fun and surprising hero, building, and ball-related progression
  • Finding the right strategy and mix of heroes and ball powers is rewarding

Not Boss Enough?

  • Becomes a little too easy, a little too quickly
  • A general lack of variety in level and boss design (the formula doesn't really evolve much)

What do you get when you mix old-school Breakout and town building with the bullet-hell action of a Vampire Survivors-style roguelite? Well, that would be the endearingly frantic and fun BALL x Pit.

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About the Author

Written By Kosta Andreadis
Kosta Andreadis is a veteran gaming and technology writer with decades of experience across news, reviews, and in-depth articles. Between Diablo seasons, he can be found creating new electronic jams (music, not the digital condiment) and tinkering with retro gaming hardware.
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