Rolling things is pretty nice, come to think of it. Everybody knocksKatamari Damacyat first, “oh, that’s just silly. All you do is play as a little guy and roll a little ball around,” they say, but then people actually try it, and before you know it, you have 15 games and a beloved IP. Moral of the story? Rolling around without a care in the world is an activity that a lot of people can get behind.
Little do most people know, however, that Katamari isn’t the only game about rolling a little ball around; it’s not even the only multi-game series about it. No, ball-rolling is actually an entire subgenre, and if you aren’t already wise to the ways of the orb, these fantastic games might just win you over.
10Slope
Distracting You From Your Teacher Since 2018
The most basic game on our list by far, Slope, is a simple endless runner, er, roller, and about just what you’d think, given the title and general visual presentation. You roll a ball down a slope until you hit something. No fluff, no story, no nothing except raw rolling action.
The game is primarily featured on those websites you use to distract yourself during class on the school computers, so if you’re not trapped at school for seven hours a day and haven’t been for quite some time, there’s a chance you’ve never even heard of Slope (or Slope Game, as it’s also called) before.It’s pure and simple arcade funand a great way to kill a couple of minutes on your phone or laptop.
9Billy Hatcher And The Giant Egg
One Of Sega’s Most Creative Outings
Aside from having one of the catchiest soundtracks on the planet, Billy Hatcher And The Giant Egg also happens to be a strange, charming journey about a boy named Billy Hatcher, and his…well, you know.
Available on the Nintendo Gamecube (though originally planned for the ill-fatedSega Dreamcast), you’ll spend the majority of your time in this lovable world rolling around your giant egg, avoiding obstacles, and experiencing one of Sega’s most creative one-off ideas. If just rolling things around isn’t enough for you on its own (yet), this engaging adventure and its delightful cast are for you.
8Paperball
Just Don’t Get It Wet
A spiritual successor to the—at one point in time—dormant world of Super Monkey Ball, Paperball usesits crumply aestheticsmainly as a means to an end. That end, of course, is fantastic controls and seriously challenging rolly polly puzzles.
If modern Monkey Ball just isn’t quite doing it for you, and you need some of that old school ball rolling action back in your life, Paperball has got your back, with an affordable price tag on Steam and over 150 stages to roll through. All of that is to say, it’s completely fine that this game’s visuals aren’t winning it any awards, because, like the best games out there, Paperball lets its gameplay do all the talking.
7NightSky
A World Of Endless Night
Nicklas Nygen may be most well known for his work on the Knytt series, but the indie developer’s atmospheric stylings don’t stop there. In fact, one of his most zen-like experiences is a little game about nothing more than rolling a ball around in the dark as you watch the world progress in the background.
As pretentious as this may sound, NightSky often feels like playing an animated indie short film at a film festival. The experience comes across as genuine and heartfelt, with timeless visuals and, thankfully, engaging gameplay that keeps the game engaging should the vibes ever start to wear off.
6Rolled Out!
Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Aside from Habitrail Hamster Ball, games about rodents in little balls running and rolling about the land are few and far between, but if, for whatever reason, that is exactly and exclusively what you want out of your ball-rolling games, Rolled Out is the best of the bunch.
In the same general style as Paperball, Rolled Out is a game focused on delivering more Monkey Ball without using the name Monkey Ball, which is only a good thing, if you ask me. With over 100 stages, custom stage support, catchy music, and somedownright adorablecharacter and world design, you really can’t go wrong with this one.
5Yoku’s Island Express
A Pinball Metroidvania…Need I Say More?
Yoku’s Island Express is billed as a pinball-style metroidvania, which is itself such a ridiculous idea on paper that you can’t help but give it a try. Thankfully, though, a silly idea isn’t all this game is. In fact, the game’s pinball world feels incredibly designed and laid out, making it a great fit for metroidvania fans and ball-rolling aficionados alike.
Taking control of the titular Yoku and his cute little orb, you’ll roll your way through the tropical paradise of Mokumana island, awakening ancient deities, collecting goodies, and, in general, just having the time of your life as the island’s new postmaster.
4Sanicball
The Greatest Racing Game Of Our Time, Clearly
Laugh all you like, but Sanicball is real, and it means business. There’s an Xbox version and everything. An entire cast of rotund characters awaits you in this hypersonic racing game, such as Sanic, Sulvur, Dr. Aggmen, and Shrek, among others, but at its core, Sanicball is about one thing and one thing only: rolling around at the speed of legal grey areas.
As tempting as it is to laugh off the game’s style and obvious inspirations as “meme culture trash,” Sanicball is actually a pretty interesting little racer that really does let you get going at some ludicrous speeds once you figure out how to do it. The stages are pretty funny, too.
3Rock Of Ages
Cleft For Me
Rock Of Ages is one of the singlemost creative video gamesI’ve ever seen. Take tower defense mechanics, art history, charming little cutscenes, and a massive rock with the face of someone who just knowingly stole your lunch out of the workplace fridge, and you get arcade-rolling action. Oh, and by the way, it was published by Atlus, publishers of Persona 5.
While the original holds up just fine, if you really want to get in on what the rock is cooking, we recommend checking out Rock Of Ages 3 on Steam, which allows you to select as an avatar the poorly restored Jesus painting and the flying spaghetti monster. Plus, there’s a sheep ball at some point, too.
2Super Monkey Ball
Go Bananas
Super Monkey Ball is pretty definitivelythestage-tilting puzzle game, and with the buttery smooth frame rate of the Gamecube originals, it’s no big surprise that Sega’s gatchapon encased monkey and his rolling adventures have had no trouble staying relevant today, especially with more recent titles coming to modern hardware like Banana Blitz HD and the even more recent Banana Mania.
If you love monkeys, bananas, marbles, or any of the three, Super Monkey Ball is for you. The originals can get a bit extreme in the difficulty department toward the end, but the newer entries are a bit less mean if high difficulty isn’t exactly what you’re looking for.
1Katamari Damacy
He Is The Prince, After All
Was there really any doubt that the game about rolling things up with “Lonely Rolling Star” in its soundtrack was going to be the king of all ball rollers? For crying out loud, we’ve got The King Of All Cosmos here, what more could you want?
In all seriousness, Katamari Damacy, and any Katamari title for that matter, is a one-of-a-kind experience that has delighted players with its unapologetically Japanese presentation and easy-to-learn, tough-to-master gameplay. Namco’s Little Prince has rolled up a lot of things in his day, but it’s the game design itself that really managed to get the gold. With the games more accessible now than ever, there’s never been a better time to grab a Katamari, plug in some headphones, and get rolling!
