Stack the Balls is a puzzle game that has you creating matches of four or more billiard balls of the same pattern. Available for both Windows Phone and PC, the game isn't very difficult to pick up and play, but is surprisingly challenging.
Gaming mechanics are simple, and the graphics present the game in a clean and colorful manner. Stack the Balls isn't a very complicated game, and while I wouldn't mind seeing more depth with the Stack the Balls, it's a fun time-waster of a game.
Stack the Balls opens up with a modest main menu that contains options to mute the gaming sounds, start gameplay and lists the gaming instructions, along with your high scores.
The goal of Stack the Balls is to create a row or column of at least four matching billiard balls. You can move the balls around the gaming table as long as there is a clear path to the destination. Balls can move vertical or horizontal but not diagonally.
The gaming table is an 8x8 grid that will begin gameplay with five randomly placed balls. You move a ball by tapping on it and then tapping on the square or grid you want to move the ball to. If your move creates a column or row of four (or more) matching balls, the balls are removed from play, and you earn a few points.
If your movement does not create a match of four or more balls, three additional balls will be randomly added to the gaming table. You continue to work on building matches until all the squares of the gaming table are formed.
Stack the Balls does require a little strategy in how you move balls around the table to create your matches. In adding three new balls when movements do not create a match, it will not take long before avenues of movement close and the board fills up with mismatched balls.
Another bone of contention that adds to the challenge of Stack the Balls is that if a ball materializes and creates a four-ball match, it will not count. In other words, you have to create the match instead of having the game create it. In these cases, your match will end up being more than four balls. Which isn't a bad thing because the more balls involved in the game, the more points you earn.
There are bonus balls that appear randomly that will match any billiard ball. While these bonus balls help, the frequency of their appearance is few and far between. It'd be good to have these bonus balls appear if you create a six ball match or just have them appear more frequently to give you a fighting chance at success.
If you are looking for a game to pass the time with that is feature rich, Stack the Balls probably will not be your cup of tea. While the game has a modest design and simple mechanics, gameplay is not a pushover. You have to strategize your movements taking into account the randomness of new ball placement, which can be a tough nut to crack.
I would like to see a little more depth with Stack the Balls by making the availability of the bonus balls more frequent or maybe even a few different gaming table patterns. As is, the game does have a slight addictive pull and is a fun title to have tucked away in your gaming library.
Stack the Balls is a free, ad-supported game that is available for both Windows Phone and PC.
Download Stack the Balls for Windows Phone and PC
