iPhone Game Review: Berzerk Ball

An odd little Flash game for computers, Homerun in Berzerk Land features you playing as various characters and getting the chance to smack a geek off the edge of cliff to see just how far you can get him to travel.  It goes well beyond that however, the geek doesn't just get smacked with a flyswatter, baseball bat, sausage, sword, or whatever else you buy in the shop (we'll get to that later), there are also various creatures and items on the ground that can propel the geek to new heights as well.  It's an oddly good time in the Penguin Smack tradition (something the developers acknowledge).

Of course, as all iPhone owners are well aware, our precious little phone doesn't support Flash (don't get me started on that).  No worries though, Berzerk Studio has now released Berzerk Ball, a mobile iOS version of Homerun in Berzerk Land with the same cartoony graphics and fun.  Even better than that, the game is just as fun as the computer version if not more so (because now you can bash the geek wherever you go).

In case I have been unclear, this isn't one of those games that requires hours of your time and brain power – there is no story, there are no traps, there is no deadly evil; there is only your character (you get your pick of several) and a geek to be bashed as far as you possibly can.  The controls too are quite simple.  At the start of each turn you tap the screen once to determine the angle at which you will bash the geek and tap screen again to determine the power with which you will bash the geek.  At that point, the geek gets bashed.  As he flies through the air, Berzerk Ball keeps track of his height and the distance from the starting line, with the goal being to simply hit him as far as you can.

The more times you play and the further you hit the geek, the more money you earn and the more experience you gain.  Gain enough experience and you level up, allowing you to increase your basher's stats in one of three categories worries though, Berzerk Studio has now released Berzerk Ball– strength, the speed at which the altitude/strength meters move (slower being easier to get the best bash), and the number of creatures on the ground that will help you keep the geek going.  Money can be used to buy better weapons with which to bash the geek and various items that will increase your stats.  There are also various achievements within the game (hit a certain altitude, get a certain distance, level up a certain amount, etc.) that unlock other items and weapons.  The items and weapons unlocked by getting the achievements carry over from one character to the next while things that are purchased in the store do not.

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Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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