
Ever since its initial announcement, Metroid Prime: Federation Force has been fighting an uphill battle. After a hiatus for the Metroid series, some fans were expecting something a bit more back-to-basics than a co-op shooter with a chibi artstyle set in the Metroid Prime universe. While there's still a week left at the time of writing before the game launches on the 3DS, Nintendo opted to put Metroid Prime: Blast Ball - the game's spin-off competitive multiplayer mode - on the eShop for free (as an early access demo in North America, full download in Europe), no doubt in an effort to try and convince jaded fans that it's not as bad as the internet response would make it seem.
Blast Ball is a rather fascinating piece of software, in that there are flashes of great fun sown throughout its general mediocrity. Throughout the whole experience there's a constant feeling that something is missing, yet you play one more game because it's also quite fun. As a standalone experience, Blast Ball doesn't nearly have enough of a draw to hold your attention for very long, but that doesn't mean that it's something to be skipped over without another thought.

Gameplay could be most closely described as a slow-paced Rocket League with guns. You pilot a mech suit in first person in 3v3 soccer-like matches where the goal is simply to shoot the ball into the opposing team's goal. Additional layers are integrated by the inclusion of a few powerups and the ability to shoot opponents, but the central gameplay is extremely approachable and easy to pick up. The controls handle just fine, but the cracks begin to show when everything goes into motion.
The central problem with Blast Ball lies in the physics of the eponymous ball itself. To put it bluntly, it's way too heavy. Your blaster has two settings: a standard shot that can be fired in rapid succession, and a slower but more powerful charge shot, but the charge shot is the only thing that has any notable effect on the ball. It can be frustrating, then, when your efforts are generally inconsequential, such as when you spam the fire button and watch the ball gradually start moving in the direction you wish, only for a charge shot to send it careening away. It's like an inverted game of tug-o-war; nobody will make any notable progress one way or the other, until a sudden play occurs that swings the advantage.

That all being said, it gets better the more one gets into it. Once you get past the horrendous weight of the ball, it can be pretty fun to predict where it'll be going next and time a well-placed shot that sends it away. Powerups are given out sparingly, but some of them can be real game changers, such as an ability that instantly incapacitates all enemy players temporarily. The sluggish pace of gameplay never goes away, but adjusting to it allows one to find deeper enjoyment.
There's a bit of character progression, too, which puts a little more incentive behind each match. Achieving certain feats, such as making five blocks in a match, unlocks special skins and paint jobs for your mech suit and allow you to give it a personal touch. Of course, you rarely see this because the main camera is in first person, but it's still cool to see in replays after each goal. Additionally, all players start with a rating of 1000, with the outcome of matches raising or lowering this depending on wins and losses. It's a meaningless number for sure, but it still adds a competitive metagame to all of the matches you take part in.
There's not a whole wealth of game modes on offer, but there's only so much that can be done with the main concept that's also being given away for free. Both on and offline, you can either partake in a standalone 3v3 match or you can take on five consecutive teams of bots which progressively get more difficult. Ultimately, it's fairly difficult to notice the difference between whether you're online or offline, something that could be seen as both a positive and a negative. The inclusion of voice chat would certainly be appreciated, but the series of pre-made phrases that can be mapped to the D-Pad do a sufficient job of allowing communication.
In terms of presentation, there's not much to complain about. The artstyle may not be to everyone's taste, but everything has a nice level of polish to it. Blast Ball definitely isn't a showcase for what the 3DS can really do, but it has some nice lighting effects, rich colours, and a frame rate that doesn't get bogged down by the action. Given that all matches take place on the same type of field, there's not a whole lot to see, but what's there is satisfying. The music is mostly forgettable sci-fi guff, but you won't be paying much attention to it in the thick of the action.
Conclusion
Blast Ball very much feels like a game that's still in development. The ball physics feel off, there's not a whole lot of content and it feels half-baked. When viewed as a standalone piece of software it's not exceptional in any way, though it's still worth a shot as a free download. It'll also feature within Federation Force (with the servers switching to that full game in North America), and it seems likely to serve as a shallow diversion that you'll no doubt find yourself coming back to now and then. We'd recommend you pick up Blast Ball in its free incarnation (which is permanent in Europe but not North America) as it's an entertaining mini-game that offers up some mindless fun, but it's not necessarily the best advert for Federation Force.
Comments 89
i like the demo more than i anticipated.
I had decent fun with it. Not something I would play over a long period of time but a nice quick distraction when needed.
I got quite a lot of fun out of it, especially for a free game.
Would have continued to play it here and there but I seem to get disconnected whenever I try to play now.
I couldn't enjoy it after playing Rocket League. I just didn't find it particularly fun. There isn't much depth at all.
The amiibo costume variety sucks. Only Mario, Luigi, Peach, Rosalina, Bowser and Bowser Jr?
As a big fan of futuristic sports, this is definitely up my alley. I wish they would bring a enhanced edition to the big screen. Oh well, maybe NX...
So you're reviewing demos now? Are we really that starved of new games this summer?
It isn't letting me put a user rating.
I was looking forwards to it until I started playing rocket league. Now this feels terrible in comparison.
LOL 5/10 on a free game hahaha
I pretty much agree with the review. I'm not a fan of the physics, the controls, and some of the power-ups. However, I will admit it's still quite fun even with all those drawbacks. Unlocking skins for your mech is neat, but mine will always be Luigi-themed. So while I do agree the game is quite fun, it's not enough to make me want the entire game.
@gaga64 Game was released for free as a stand alone game in Europe.
Red card!
@Blue_Blur I'm curious how much it'll cost later. Didn't they say this'll be a standalone buy, too?
I liked the Kirby standalone side-games way more. When's our eshop Team Kirby Clash DX nintendo?
The ball being too heavy is spot on - and once one side has an advantage, if a convenient power-up doesn't spawn, you can kiss that point goodbye.
Possible suggestions for updates down the line:
1) Have the option to change ball weight, with the default being closer to a superball
2) Actual arenas (not just reskins) from a final-destination area with no siderails to Metroid/Metroid II/Metroid Prime themed areas with associated hazards to ridiculous not-Metroid arenas like a bouncy castle.
It was absolutely dreadful. Every.last.second of it
One of the worst games in recent years, definitely a 2/10 for me.
One more instance where the review and the final score divorced from the review send two very different messages, at least to most readers. It's well past time review scores were abandoned, especially those based on a ten-point scale.
This is easily my least favorite or second least favorite Nintendo game. (I don't really like LTTP.) The AI is ridiculous, the controls are a tad awkward even on New 3ds, and it was frustrating.
I've played about 10 matches now. The doesn't have much depth, I would rather play Next Levels previous football title. Then again this is just aika side mode of aika game I have no interest in.
Back to playing that marvellous Metroid 2 remake.
@Knuckles But released as a promotional freebie in advance of the full game, which contains this "standalone game" in its entirety? Or does this version have features that won't be in the full Federation Force release?
oh boy!

let the options commence!
in all serious though, Blast Ball reminds me of Rocket League with Metroid Characters in it, was not anything special to me, it not bad or great ether it just, eh
What happens when the ball is yellow or purple? Does it do more damage to the opposing team?
The thing with Blast ball though is it wasn't meant to be an all out multiplayer game. Like the creator said Blast Ball is meant to get you use to the controls of Federation Force without the need of an overbearing tutorial. Personally i enjoyed it for what it was, and it would be nice for them to work on it a bit more as I feel once Federation force is out, their may be a cult following for Blast Ball.
@Dr_Corndog I'd agree, games are too complex to assign a simple number to. It's the reasoning behind it that matters.
The appetiser before the main course. Or translated:
The Calm before the Storm.
this is what happens. People have too much expectations, be it low or high. So now since yall were expecting a crappy game, any redeeming feature your like "hey thats actually something good." but when its a game you have high expectations for and its actually good but not great yall think its crap
"Blast Ball very much feels like a game that's still in development. The ball physics feel off, there's not a whole lot of content and it feels half-baked."
Yep.
I do disagree with the assertion that there's not much to complain about on the graphics front. It's a terrible-looking game. If you just showed me the game without giving any context, I'd probably think it was a game designed for the original DS!
All-around a terrible experience. Doesn't bode well for FF, imo.
@MitchVogel: Yeah, hopefully it won't cost too much! I did hear that it would be a standalone game as well, but I'm probably still going to pass on it, unless it happens to be at a really good price. Blast Ball is fun, but at the same time, I can definitely live without it.
I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, the ball doesn't work the way it should and it's a chore to try to get it to get into the goal. On the other hand, blasting the other players is a...blast. Or a ball, maybe...
Well, this isn't great.
Is it just me? Or do the graphics look very rushed and basic?
It looks like old DS graphics. 🤔
My pride wouldn't let me enjoy this game...
"there are flashes of great fun sown throughout its general mediocrity. "
I feel like this is what everyone fears will describe the upcoming full adventure. Sure hope it's more ambitious and polished than the demo.
The ball physics definitely seem off. At some points I wasn't sure if it was lag or just the ball acting weird. Going after the players however, is pretty entertaining. xD
Why are you judging a free minigame as a retail game?
I personally enjoy playing this overall. And I play Rocket League often. Playing online is quite fun with and against others and I also enjoy trying to unlock skins. (Just 2 left now)
I feel like the eject power up is given out way too often though. When playing in challenge mode, the CPU's would seem to know exactly where it would land do they'd get it right away and of course score a goal as well. I really got annoyed when they got it several times in a row.
I hated it. Downloaded it for Free and Deleted it.
Pfffft. What has happened to the Nintendo reputation?
Remember the gold quality seal?
For a free game I think it's pretty amazing. Good thing in Europe the servers are gonna carry over to the full game. The couple times I've played with my brothers locally was a blast haha. Online is also very fun. Although I'm interested in what kind of story the full game will have and how enemies will work. Definitely getting this over the Pokemon GO Plus which I have decided isn't worth the money by the time it comes out. I guarantee I'll be able to find this game for under £35.00 so let the choice be yours. A full game with online and blast ball. Or a small device for a 2 month old app thats only purpose is to let you put your phone in sleep mode. You decide.
Dropping the ball indeed. Nintendo must really hate Metroid, and want to kill it off, slowly.
I really enjoy Blast Ball. I also wonder if people that aren't enjoying it mainly play single player games? The Ball feels heavy and difficult to move, which makes teamwork important on both offense and defense. Some of the items are a little OP but overall it is a very enjoyable experience
@amiiboacid
I actually don't think price should affect review score. A game is fun and worth playing or it's not. Price is a factor in a consumer decision to buy a game, but a game's not less fun because it cost $10 more.
Not a fan of pinball or Metroid Prime Pinball or any other pinball so I'm not getting this.
blast ball, amiibo festival...stop making THESE REDUNDANT FORGETTABLE-ASS GAMES
This game would been pretty cool if there weren't hugely superior alternatives out there, even the throwaway Overwatch soccer minigame they added this month completely outclasses it. I feel like the co-op shooter part of Federation Force will end up the same. The whole package just seems like the wrong game at the wrong time.
@amiiboacid I think it's because this is included in the retail version, and in North America at least the servers will only support play for the retail release soon. Nintendo seems to be trying to get people "try it before you hate on it" but they forgot that only works when the product is unfairly hated. In this case, the product is just plain bad so letting people try it is worse than making them take a chance and buy it first.
I had more fun dissecting sheep hearts in school.
@retro_player_22 It has nothing to do with pinball.
@DefHalan has a point. Unlike practically every other sports game, it takes multiple players to move the ball, and not through passing.
Something the review fails to mention is that powerups are dispensed by rapid-firing on the ball, not just randomly. So you have to weigh your options; do you focus on charged shots to move the ball more efficiently, or rapid fire and risk the ball blowing past you while trying to get a powerup to turn the tables?
The unbalanced ranking system and the luck-based matches put me off after a day. I'm glad this isn't a standalone title but part of a (hopefully) better game.
I just noticed the review uses two of the same image lol
Also, since this is just a slice of the full product, does that mean if the rest of Federation Force gets a 5/10 it would come out to a 10/10 Game???
I've played over 100 games now and find that it's a lot less sluggish when you really become proficient with the complexity of the controls. Using jumps, charge shots in conjunction with aimed gyro makes the game play much faster and gives you more control and force on the ball.
Team work is so key as well, you're meant to guide the ball as a team after all.
I do think the green team killing power up could be nerfed a little bit although it does add a defensive element to the game, where one member of the team must always be ready to track back during the count down and die in front of the goal to at least provide some obstacle to the opposition scoring before you return to the mech.
I've really enjoyed Blast Ball. Also, i can't believe the review didn't mention the lack of Private Match option which is biggest feature omission in the game for me.
Lucio ball in Overwatch is way better. I think it's because the field is bigger and you have to melee the ball. Blast Ball feels too random.
This should be a standalone game for free or cheap on the 3DS and Wii U with more modes etc.
GOLD TEAM RULES!
The problem with Federation Force is that it's not a Metroid Prime game. If they named it Federation Force: Metroid Adventures it probably would have received less hate! Perception is everything (sad, but true)
Enjoyed this more than Dedede's Drum Dash and Kirby Fighters. Game is a 7 for me, hopefully there are more levels, balls and powerups when FF is released
@3MonthBeef I believe Rocket League released after Blast Ball was first shown. At the very least development would have been started on Blast Ball before Rocket League had become popular
I played ~9 matches online. Then I found something better to do with my life.
@3MonthBeef Well, in a lot of interviews they say how Blast Ball is a good way to get use to the fantastic controls they have. So the probably released that early (and have a small "Pilot Training" part that is more like a tutorial for single-player) to counter the "I don't understand these controls" arguments people will be throwing at the game, like they did for Star Fox.
Yeah, I played it for about a half hour and deleted it. Sorry Nintendo (and Next Level), I love you, your games are generally great, but this one is just not that good. Maybe the actual Federation Force game will be good but if I get it I won't be playing Blast Ball.
Everybody describes this game like Rocket League - well, I don't KNOW what Rocket League is!
@rosemo
Did you unlock and play the Training mode?
..yea, I'd call it
aFoul Ball too.. I really hope the main game's a home run tho...If this really was made in lieu of a tutorial, Next Level needs to be told that dual-analogue controls in an FPS are nothing new and that a quick one minute or much less tutorial is all that's needed.
My opinion of the game is that I hated it, mainly because the ball is indeed way too heavy. Whenever I did score a goal, it felt like I just happened to have momentum with my AI team, as opposed to using an actual strategy. Poor execution/10.
@NewAdvent @Manjushri Did you try the basic control scheme? It only requires you to use the left circle pad, face buttons, and one set of triggers like most 3DS games. I don't think the game is very good, but the controls never made me feel uncomfortable.
@Dr_Corndog What do you mean they send different messages? The review makes it sound like an average game (decent basic gameplay but flawed and with little depth), while that's also what a 5/10 score represents here.
This didn't interest me much. I never downloaded it- figured I'd just wait for the full game and maybe give it a try then.
The main game is what interests me. I plan to run through the campaign in a weekend with a few N-Life members since its funner playing co-op with ppl you at least know.
Bad things - it's very poor. Good things - it made me go back to Rocket League after not playing it for a few months. Hurray!
Roll on NX them mabye Nintendo will stop making these stupid filler games I played Lucio ball before this and playing this is just ugh
I'm really liking this free download. Competitive multiplayer is always interesting when you get pretty decent at the game. I've put in roughly 10 hrs so far and I'm fairly impressed - currently have an online score of about 1200. It's not that deep so probably won't last long, and there are some control quirks that should have been addressed (I would have liked a lock on 'toggle' instead of having to hold L for roughly 5 minutes at a time). But it's still a fun little experience for me.
I don't have an issue with the ball physics at all - when 2 players from opposite sides are shooting at the same thing at the same time, of course it's going 'feel' heavy. You need teamwork and strategic aiming with the gyro to direct the ball the way you'd like.
Still looking forward to the Fed Force launch as the few issues I have with this free add on game will not translate to the full package.
As a side note, people really need to stop confusing 'art style' and 'graphical fidelity'. They are mutually exclusive and are not the same thing. Some of the polish that Next Level games have put into these 3DS visuals is astounding even if the chibi art style may not be for everyone.
Oh dear... Really hate it when Ninty mar a legacy! Weve had some pretty rotten to average first party games over the last year!
This really isn't that bad, I feel like the only reason why it's rated so low is to be on par with the opinions of others.
Between this review and the recent Metroid Prime Hunters review, I'm not really sure what to make of these ratings myself. I mean in the conclusion of the Metroid Prime Hunters review it seems as if it got a 6 for not holding up against the full Metroid Prime Trilogy. I also don't understand how a spin-off mode of an upcoming Prime game that is described as being "still in development" only scores a point less than a full Prime game experience that has a single player and packed multiplayer experience.
While I intend on buying Federation Force on release regardless of reviews, I was somewhat interested in what the review would be like here. Now after seeing how recent Metroid experiences have been rated, it might unfortunately be too easy to throw away as siding with the negative vocal crowd within the Metroid fanbase.
whats this crap wheres the real metroid game we have been waiting for on wii u
The free download really let me give Federation Force a chance, and while I played a few games of Blast Ball optimistically, it really can't compete now that I've experienced games like Rocket League.
Blast Ball seems like an inferior version of Rocket League, and the Federation Force portion of the demo an inferior version of Metroid Prime. Both are completely unacceptable.
Still appreciate the free demo!
I'm not really surprised by the score given. It is a decent distraction, but it have enough going for it to keep gamers coming back in the long term. I also agree with the comment about the ball being too heavy. I played a good amount of matches and it felt like my shots were hardly moving it! It felt like it was stuck in molasses! That being said, it is still fun to play bit by bit.
I don't understand why some people are shocked that Nintendo Life reviewed this.
A game is a game, whether it's free or not. Things don't need a monetary value in order to qualify for opinion! Yes, we are getting it for free- but free don't mean fun.
@MysteryAozz
I think the sub header for this review should have been
'Like Getting Tazed In the Balls'.
Wow a review for a Nintendo game that isn't 8+ here, surprised.
Don't have hope this or Federation Force would be such a great game, and I wouldn't have even minded as much this game's existence if this wasn't the first metroid game we've had in a long while.
@MitchVogel
Hey man, do you or any of the staff know if the full Federation Force saves to cartridge or SD? Also is there download play for the full game or just Blast Ball? I think I'm the only one out of my friends that's getting it, so if it can be beaten Triforce Heroes style that would be rad. If the game saves to SD I'll just download it, but if it saves to cartridge then I like the cartridge. My OCD is vexed by Monster Hunter and Fantasy Life being on cart but saved to SD. Lol. Thanks man.
@I-U In the case of Hunters, that was more for the VC release than the game itself. It's a cumbersome and inferior experience to the actual Prime games, which are also available on the Wii U. Hunters is better as a DS game that you play on the go, not on an emulated DS on Wii U.
@3MonthBeef yes, that is the wrong way to interpret the given mechanics. Most of the time you should be predicting where the ball will be and using charged shots to move it in the direction you want. Rapid shots do next to nothing and you run out of charge quickly.
@BulbasaurusRex You are correct. In my experience, though, most readers don't see a 5 as "Average," despite what this site says. They see anything below a 6 (or maybe a 7) as garbage. I think it's because a ten-point scale is easily associated with grade scales from high school and college, where a score in the 70s is seen as average.
I also did find the ball very heavy, like a wrecking-ball.
So far I only played it once. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.
Really liked this article from techtimes:
"If the only familiar piece of the puzzle is the name, why bother calling Federation Force a Metroid game at all?"
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/172123/20160802/is-metroid-prime-federation-force-bad-for-nintendos-long-running-series.htm#sthash.i81eA6xU.dpuf
@Dr_Corndog At least for me, it's merely the fact that an average game usually isn't worth buying when there are so many better games available on the e-shop. Gamers only have so much money (and SD card space) available for such purchases as well as time available to play them.
I loved this game for about 4 days and I haven't played it since then. Still, it was a good bit better than expected.
It was quite fun little game and the hidden tutorial game section for the Federation Force was quite cool.
I had fun with it, would maybe play it even more if there were more variations than one arena and also if there was some tournament system and lots of different colours for teams etc.
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