What a charming title Ralph and the Blue Ball is. A passion project by Cozy Village, dedicated to their dog of the same name. It’s a hidden object game where you must locate the titular K-9’s misplaced toys, and it’s now on the Nintendo Switch, published by Mens Sana Interactive.
The game has eight scenarios, and they all revolve around the house, as this is based on the actual dog. Sorry, sci-fi fans – no ball hunting in space. For each setting, you must locate an increasing number of items; the ultimate missing artefact is Ralph’s blue ball.
In the news post, I compared Ralph and the Blue Ball to Unpacking and Mom Hid My Game! What a talent I have for comparisons – it’s just like that. Visually, it’s reminiscent of Unpacking and has a pixel art aesthetic from an isometric viewpoint. The scenes aren’t animated other than interacting with them.
Ralph And The Blue Ball Review (Switch)
A point and click? Quite literally, as you hunt for the toys by pixel hunting. The game space is pretty tiny, and it wasn’t until the second level that I realised you could zoom in (essential!) to look for clues. It’s easy to have overlooked as there’s a question mark in the UI, and I was hesitant to click it for fear of a spoiler. Spoiler: there aren’t any hints.
You’d think that eight levels isn’t much, so there wouldn’t be much challenge. Well, it’s not like you’ll steam through Ralph and the Blue Ball, finding everything immediately. On two or three, there were elusive, sneaky items hidden in places that weren’t immediately obvious but made for an entertaining experience.
Alas, this is a micro game, and despite the heartfelt comments from the developer and, more importantly, the fun had playing this game, it’s incredibly short. I finished it on the Switch in about 30 minutes without consulting a time invigilator. Sure, there’s replay value, but as it’s a hidden object game, you’ll likely memorise the locations of everything.
That said… I enjoyed Ralph and the Blue Ball on the Switch. There are no time limits, penalties, or frustrating game mechanics. The difficulty ramps up by introducing more items and keys to unlock safes, but there’s nothing here to endure any stress. A very cosy title indeed.
Verdict
Short on gaming time and want something to wind down at the end of the day (or maybe to start it off), a fan of pixel art and have that inside information that dogs are indeed better than cats? Check out Ralph and the Blue Ball on the Nintendo Switch.
