Ionball 2: Ionstorm, developed by Ironsun Studios and published by KISS ltd, is a game that reminds me a lot of the old brick breaking type of games, but with a bit more of a twist – considering that you’re hitting robot enemies instead of just bricks. These robots come in various types, with some that have an abundance of health, others that can call on a shield for protection, and others that will shoot back at you when you shoot at them. There were quite a few things that I liked about this game, but there were definitely a few things that also irked me.

To begin, let’s talk about what I did like. I liked the gameplay and the difficulty that went along with it. As stated above, you’re playing a game quite similar to the brick breaking game, where you bounce a ball back and forth between you and enemies making sure that the ball doesn’t get away from you. This game gets pretty difficult without feeling overwhelming, so I think that players will enjoy that quite a bit. The boss levels at the end of each “level” also mix things up a bit. You start at the basement and work your way up, and if you defeat every sequence in a level, you’re faced with a boss battle. Once you start playing, it’s hard to stop, because you know if you just get that one last robot down, victory is yours! One big thing that helped make it so that this game did not feel insanely impossible is the inclusion of power-ups. You have at your disposal a super beam that, when charged, will shoot at enemies packing an extra punch for particularly hard-to-kill enemies. Likewise, as you take down the various robots, money falls from them, and if you can collect it, you can then buy yourself other power-ups like the Minigun Barrage, which allows you to slow time while raining bullets down upon your foes.

Another thing I really liked about this game was the look of it and the music. The backgrounds have a kind of steampunk vibe, while the characters themselves are bright and vibrant to look at, so they stand out against the backdrop. Meanwhile, the techno vibe of the music keeps your adrenaline pumping, and I could listen to it the entire time I played without it getting too overbearing or annoying.

My biggest qualm with Ionball 2: Ionstorm also involves the graphics. While I loved the style and color of this game, there were multiple times where I completely lost the ball and had it drop below my ship because I couldn’t see it. When the robots explode, it looks like fireworks went off on screen. This was a cool feature until I realized that if my ball is in the same spot as the robot that just exploded, I can no longer see where it is anymore, and inevitably I would lose a life. This is quite a big problem when the game is pretty fast-paced and requires you to react on your feet.

Overall, I liked Ionball 2: Ionstorm. The gameplay was fun without being too difficult, and the graphic and musical style of the game only added to my enjoyment. However, the fact that at times I could completely lose the ball in gameplay because of the explosions of the robots made me extremely frustrated. As much as I liked all the other aspects of this game, it’s hard to contend with not being able to fully see what’s going on around you at all times. I would recommend this game, with the warning to watch out for the explosions!

Score: B-

Get Ionball 2: Ionstorm on Steam for $6.99. Check out the official site for more games!

[Disclaimer: A review code was provided for me to review this game.]