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31 October 2008updated 01 Jul 2021 5:42am

SFTW: Somersault Game

Every week Iain Simons chooses a game for you to while away a few hours at your desk. This time it's

By Iain Simons

Ordinarily I wouldn’t put forward games that required a further plug-in, but this is well worth the effort.

Somersault is on the surface a simple bouncing ball game in which you guide a character through a course, traversing all manner of hazards to reach your goal. What sets it apart though, is the control scheme with which you drive the ball. Strokes of the mouse allow you to draw a paddle on screen, and keeping the button pressed allows you to swing the paddle on its end batting the ball around. Helpfully, the projected path of your ball is drawn ahead of you in rainbow-coloured lines – it’s fair to say that without those guides there the game would be a frustrating experience.

The game enjoys a simple, clean aesthetic which looks a lot like the early VR environments of a few years ago and has plenty of fun with its environment design. As Bally makes his way through a the kitchen level, wine glasses are toppled, knives are unsheathed and if you’re very unlucky you might find yourself in a blender faced with the question, ‘will it blend?’ The answer probably won’t please you…

Play Somersault Game

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