Timeball is a puzzle video game released by NEC for the TurboGrafx-16. The object of the game is to guide a ball along pieces of track by moving tiles like a sliding puzzle. The game’s name in Japan is Blodia, an anagram of Diablo, the title of a computer game upon which Blodia is based. Versions of Blodia were released exclusively in Japan for the original Game Boy and the X68000. A spin-off titled Blodia Land: Puzzle Quest was released for the Famicom, replacing the ball with cartoon dinosaur-like characters. These versions were developed by Tonkin House and published by Broderbund.
Gameplay
The grid on screen is composed of tiles. Some tiles have a piece of road, and a black tile represents “the void”, an area where one can drag the tile nearby in order to complete a road which will be taken by a ball that will follow the path. Players must arrange the tiles such that the ball traverses all sections of track. The ball can be sped up by pressing a button. If the ball reaches a tile without a piece of track, it falls out of play.
The game also includes a level editor which allows for the creation of custom puzzles.
An earlier “prototype” version without the level editor was published for the TI-99/4a and other computers as “Diablo” in 1985.
See also
- Loco-Motion
References
External links
- Timeball (Diablo) at MobyGames
- Blodia for Game Boy at MobyGames
Gamer24h Editor's Take
Put under the Gamer24h team's microscope, Timeball raises the bar considerably with both its storytelling and technical polish. Thanks to Now Production's meticulous craftsmanship and TurboGrafx-16, NEC, Hudson Soft, X68000, Game Boy, Broderbund, Tonkin House's strong presentation, the high production quality is evident in every moment of the game. Masterfully blending Puzzle mechanics with modern standards, the game's fluid gameplay makes hours fly by unnoticed. All in all, the Gamer24h team stands firmly behind our rating. This is a unique journey you won't want to miss.