Tigerball is a fun time waster of a game where you have to toss a ball into a basket. While the game sounds simple, the challenge comes into play with the ball being a little on the hyperactive side. Much like you would find with a super ball.
You also have various obstacles to bounce your ball around, through and over that adds to the game's challenge. There are two gaming modes and fifty levels of play. Tigerball is available for low-memory and Windows 8 devices, gets a 5 Star rating in the Windows Phone Store and overall is an addictive, entertaining game to pass the time with.
Simple Menu, Bouncy game play
Tigerball's main menu is straightforward with options to mute the sound and music as well as access the game's settings lining the left side of the screen. Your two game modes, High score Mode and Free Throws sit at the bottom left corner and the option to rate the game in the Windows Phone Store and access the game store rests in the opposite corner. There is also a Play Button in the center of the screen that, by default, will send you into the High Score Mode game.
Game settings cover turning on/off the game tips and setting your level progression to normal or random.
High Score Mode has you playing through the levels earning a point for each level you complete. Free Throws has you playing a single level to see how many baskets you can score in a row.
The game's objective is simple, throw the ball in the basket. You toss your ball by swiping at it with the ability to bounce it off walls, off obstacles, through obstacles or any other method as long as it finds its way into the basket.
The game screen for the High Score Mode has your lives, bombs and stars displayed across the top of the screen. Your score will be in the upper right corner. You start each game with one life and can earn additional lives as you progress through game play. If you miss the basket, it will cost you a life. If you have no lives and miss, you get to flip a coin to see if you get another chance.
Bombs are earned during game play and allow you to skip the current level. Stars are also earned as you make baskets and can be used in the game store to purchase lives and bombs.
The ball does bounce around a lot, much like a super ball would. If you know there is no hope for the ball to bounce into the basket and want to move on, just tap the screen to reset the game (and lose a life or flip the coin).
Just to touch on the Free Throw Mode, the game screen is similar but lacks the lives and bombs. Your score is based solely on the number of consecutive baskets you make.
Overall Impression
I liked Tigerball and can see why it is highly rated in the Windows Phone Store. The game has nice graphics, easy game mechanics and challenging game play. Successfully tossing the ball into the basket takes a combination of skills, patience and luck.
The only downside may be that you only have fifty levels to tackle but it will take you some time to complete what's there. Plus, if you lose all your lives and the coin toss, you get bounced back to the first level. It may not be the best way to give a game a little staying power but the levels don't get too boring when you have to replay them.
The Free Throw Mode is an entertaining way to experiment with different shots or angles of approach to sink the basket. And if you like gaming from a larger screen, the Windows 8 version plays out nicely from a tablet.
The 5 Star rating Tigerball has in the Windows Phone Store isn't far from the mark. All in all, if you are looking for a slightly addictive time waster of a game you need to give Tigerball a try.
- Tigerball – Windows Phone 8.x – 18MB – Free – Store Link
- Tigerball – Windows 8 – 20.2MB – Free – Store Link
