Hit the Ballz

Hit the Ballz was the first significant game created by Robert Dennington. Work started on the game in 2002 and finished in early 2003.

The game featured several levels, each containing walls and balls. The balls would bounce against the walls (which were usually placed at the edge of the level). Every time the player clicked on a ball, they would earn a number of points, the exact number earned depending on the type of ball, and often the ball would also create a clone of itself in a random location. Gaining enough points would advance the player to the following level, which usually introduced a new colour of ball that had a different speed and reward.

Additionally, as the player got further into the game, they would begin to encounter obstacles. For example, the player might encounter a ghost flying around the screen, and if balls touched the ghost, they would be destroyed, preventing them from being clicked for points. These added additional difficulty to the later levels and helped to keep the player interested for a longer period of time.

The level advancement scripts created for Hit the Ballz were eventually recycled and used in Chopper.

There is no longer a surviving copy of the game.

Sequel

After the release of the original game, a sequel called Hit the Ballz 2 was in the planning stages. The first 5 levels of the game were updated and a "mini room" was added where the player could practice the game. The sequel was later cancelled when it proved to be a larger challenge than originally anticipated.