BasketBelle

Warning: This game behaves as spyware and collects "telemetry" and personally identifying information. While there is an option to disable this, there's no guarantee that will work. Worse, the developers turned this on by default to try to spy on as many gamers as possible. The developers will make the unverifiable claim that this data isn't personally identifying, of course that's BS as they're collecting IPs and all kinds of other information about gamers, when combined with other profiling data this can 100% identify an individual. They say it's for "QA" purposes but there's no guarantee they're not profiling you or selling your data to third parties as they spy on you. Should you trust them? Of course not... if they had any concerns about user safety and privacy, they wouldn't have built spyware into their game and turned it on by default!. There's simply no reason to trust them and gamers should avoid this game because of this unacceptable privacy invasion.

BasketBelle is an old Adobe Flash/AIR game from 2014. It's a venerable 11 years old at the time of this review.

It's a basic "platformer"-esque game but instead of platforming you use a combination of moves like faking, sliding etc to solve various "puzzles"... all around shooting a hoop with a basketball. That makes it sound way better than it really is... this is a janky Flash game. Maybe some of the performance issues are caused by the spyware in it? Who knows. Spying on users... never okay.

From a technical perspective, the game doesn't meet basic minimum requirements that most PC gamers expect as standard.

There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks. There's no way to ensure this is running at the native resolution of your display. There's no guarantee this game will look right on any PC as a result of this hamfisted design decision.

The game features somewhat lazy, simplistic "retro" looking 2D graphics, of the type you normally expect to see in low effort Flash/browser games and mobile apps. Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing.

The controls can't be customised, which will be an annoyance for many, but it can also render the game unplayable for differently-abled gamers, left handed gamers or gamers using AZERTY or other international keyboard layouts.

Comically, the game was written in Adobe Flash/AIR (I'm not making this up). Talk about not using the right tools for the job. Might as well try to bake a cake with a screwdriver. The extremely poor choice of game engine here is a major contributing factor to the defects with the game.

These technical defects push this game below acceptable standards for any modern PC game.

BasketBelle didn't appeal much to the people who own a copy of the game, either. It has achievements, and they show us a very clear picture that the game didn't really capture any interest from gamers. The most commonly and easily attained achievement is "Jealous Jordan", for beating the fourth chapter, trivial to get, but less than 22 percent of players bothered to get that far before uninstalling the game. Hardly a success story, even the people who own this game weren't interested in it.

Reviewing SteamDB to check how popular this game was with players reveals a surprise... there's a modest spike in player counts for the game. But this only happened once, around the same time that trading cards were applied to the game... so this is just card idlers getting their cards and moving on. A closer look at the numbers shows the game just has a couple of players every week running up the game and idling it for cards, then deleting it. We must ask how it benefits gamers for there to be so many games like this, with no merit as a serious game, that only generate sales from people idling and selling the trading cards.

Think of this as someone coming into your home, installing a camera in your living room, and refusing to tell you who will be watching it, if they will record the footage and where they will post it. You have no control over your data once they take it from you. Do you trust them?

So, should you buy this game? Is this one of the best of the 110,000+ games on Steam?

BasketBelle has the ridiculous price of around $5 USD, it's not worth it given the defects and shortcomings with the product, especially considering the unethical nature of the developer. Remember that if you buy a game from an unethical developer, you're putting your money at risk.

$5 for a spyware laden Flash game. What a joke.

ok little Basketball Relationship platformer adventure game
rating negative because I can't rly recommend it for the original price,
maybe wait for a sale if you want to check it out
+ 4 fast Steam achievements
+ multiple Endings (at least 3) [but only 2 or 3 changed text lines, so not rly worth]
- Settings not saved upon restart / sending data enabled by deafault

Charming short indie title about basketball. Unlike many games, I have no complaints about the short duration of this game: just as I was beginning to get bored of a section, it'd quickly wrap up and move onto something new.

Would definitely recommend waiting for a sale, as a playthrough should take you ~30mins, which is a bit short for a $5 game.

Can basketball save the day? Well, if you've ever seen someone pull off a half-court shot at the buzzer, you'd know it's possible! In this experimental platformer set against a dreamy Parisian backdrop, you play as a boy on a mission to rescue his sister, armed with nothing but basketball skills. You’ll be dunking under a moonlit sky while navigating the rustic cardboard charm and vibrant colors of Paris. The creativity is rich, making the game a visual and auditory slam dunk.

You dribble and dunk through obstacles in a heartwarming story that feels like a cartoon come to life. The soundtrack perfectly syncs with the action, featuring reaction sounds that might just inspire some hoop dreams. The game cleverly blends basketball with platforming, offering challenges from classic gameplay to intricate puzzles and sky-high dodging. Each chapter brings fresh surprises, keeping things as unpredictable as a half-court buzzer-beater.

Sometimes you’re playing basketball, other times you're solving puzzles that make you feel like a superhero, or leave you wondering if there's a trick shot for sibling rescue. Despite minor control quirks, the game’s charm and originality shine through. With its captivating visuals, fantastic soundtrack, and unpredictable gameplay, this platformer is a good game worth dribbling over to.

Introduction

Pros & Cons

Story

Gameplay

Graphics & Audio

Performance

Conclusion

Nice wholesome game. I really liked the artstyle and the levels were neat.

The way BasketBelle implemented Basketball into such a cool and creative concept of a platformer game is definitely worth playing!

I guess this game is pretty nice... most of the time. Sometimes the levels are a little bit too hard, but not in cause of the gameplay, it's because of the controlling. It doesn't feel so right, especially in the first level (the first level is a long level, most of the time platforming). The story is interesting and overall it's a good game for an evening. You can skip levels or choose the level you want to play after starting the first level, so that's a nice option if you have problems with something.

Hm. I'm not sure if I should like it or not. But because of the artstyle, the atmosphere and the story I would recommend it. And the gameplay is okay.

Really nice game, quite short but it made me feel something and that means a lot to me. I was invested in characters. Basketball theme is very refreshing in video games that are not directly about sports. I also liked music in some levels, I will probably listen to it on my own in the future. Only negative thing is that I got stuck two times and looked up gameplay on youtube to unstuck myself (solutions were easy I was just not so smart). If you want something short, artistic and fun to play. Pick this up! (You will also get soundtrack and PDF with sketches which adds nice value for the price).

As a sports fanatic myself I knew I would dig this game. The question is will the haters of "sportsball" enjoy the game as well? Well, you are in luck because the answer is yes my friends!

This is a very short game. Playtime can range from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much you wanna show off your fadeaway jumper and posterizing dunks.

The story is a lovely one. Since the game is short I obviously will not spoil anything. Check it out for yourself!

While you read this review you may wonder "eh, should I really buy this unknown game just because this dumbo thinks it's awesome?". Well, listen to the dumbo. Now listen to me while I pitch this game for ya!

-Positives

--Achievement Hunter friendly. As I, myself, earned all the achievements in just 2 hours.

--Price is well worth what you get. For only $5 it is an amazing piece of work. Only $5! Find it off the sidewalk or something.

--The artstyle is unique!

--Finally this game is a unique and creative concept that brings something new to the table.

In conclusion, this game is worth buying. It is only $5, the concept is creative and fun to play around with the basketball. This game has so much replay value to it as well. It is so fun to mess around in. The only negative I can think of is the control scheme and maybe it was short. It would be great to see a sequel for this game with the awesome mechanics this game offers blended with a creative uniqueness to it. This is my first review. I only review games that I think do not get enough attention. So do me a favor and buy this game. You have nothing to lose. So just do it! You will not regret it!

The power of basketball will bring my family back together

I’m not a person that’s big on sports. I find them boring to watch. The only time I actually went to a live game was due to it being a school trip so why not go. When I did try a sports game years ago I did not see the appeal to buy it and keep playing it. I’m not sure why I decided to pick up BasketBelle when I did, but I do not regret it.

While this may be a sports game, it does not primarily focus on Basketball, but the story. You play as the older brother whose father just gave him his own basketball and afterwards a game of Basketball with your little sister, Basketbelle. In the middle of the game, the basketball bounces out of the court and while you were retrieving it, Basketbelle goes missing. Not wanting to go in without Basketbelle, and feeling something wrong is happening, you follow a trail to bring her back.

Each chapter has it’s own way of incorporating Basketball directly with what is happening. You might be going against an opponent traditionally, but it will occasionally change that depending on what happened. Such as when you were swallowed, you transverse the insides that would turn into a short puzzle platformer section so you can pave an empty path to throuw your basketball. No matter what, you will get what you have to do easily and the game is responsive enough for you to do move at the last second. Which is good considering there will be many situations where you will have to slide under something, or someone, and jump over obstacles to throw or dunk your basketball to score a point.

This is a very beautiful game, both in sound, visuals, and the story it provides. As someone that do not seek to play sport games, this was one that I couldn’t help but finish in one setting. I had to see what happened to Basketbelle and the hardships you had to face to get to her. You also easily get the strong feeling of family and the love that they all have for each other that drove your character to seek out his sister as far as he does. Granted this might not be worth $5 with how short this is, I do recommend picking this up when you see it on sale.

BasketBelle is an appetizer of a game. It won't wow you but it's an enjoyable little 30 minute game. It's a fun and refreshing idea to make a puzzle/platforming game about Basketball. The game looks and plays like a flash game you would've found on the Internet.

I wouldn't say that BasketBelle is a game you have to go out of your way to play, but on sale it's €0.99. It's totally worth that.

3 out of 5 stars.

An incredible game that mixes a lot of different game types: you'll swith from a classic 2D basket game to a 2D puzzle-platform to sections where you have to avoid obstacles, in all these different game styles your objective is always the same: score points by getting the ball in the basket and defeating a purple goo-monster that kidnapped your sister.
The graphics and audio of this game are incredibly well-made and sort an unique and great-looking style that seems ripped from a comic book, the game is unfortunately quite short and even if some segments can be pretty tough it won't kee you entartined for that much time...
Buy it istantly if you see it on sale: you won't regret it!

BasketBelle is a brief, endearing adventure with heart and style.

Despite the name, BasketBelle is not filled with basketball in the typical sense. Small parts of the game have you playing some one on one, but mostly this a whimsical bit of puzzle platforming. In this linear experience, some reflex is involved in order to traverse the various platforms and pathways. Shooting the ball takes a bit more effort and aim, but feels satisfying. The few matches of basketball present in the game are fair and not too challenging. Players will find themselves dribbling, hopping on platforms, and making shots in mostly surreal environments with many hues of purple. The controls can feel wonky at times, but this isn’t meant to a demanding experience like Super Meat Boy, so it never really felt like a major issue. Instead, this is one of those games that’s more for the experience than to challenge the player. The experience is definitely enjoyable, but on the shorter side of just around an hour or two.

The pacing of the game suits the length well, so there is very little downtime between levels and cuts of narrative. The game feels like it’s constantly in motion, save for the few more puzzle oriented levels, but even at its most difficult it can still probably be enjoyed by wide range of skill levels and age groups. The story follows a young boy trying to save his sister as she is kidnapped by a purple blob. Despite the rather simple and lighthearted presentation, BasketBelle manages to pinch at emotions carefully and confidently. At its heart the familial narrative is touching and pleasant. There is no fiery grandeur in the prose or obscurity in the delivery, but it is refreshing and sincere.

BasketBelle is a short and simple treat. The novel art style does an excellent job carrying the game’s experience and the music accompanies well. The length is not enough to cavil about, but the controls might be enough to put off those not charmed by BasketBelle’s winsome visuals and character. BasketBelle is concise and splendid.

Very often, weird concepts fall flat. A strange mix of genres such as "puzzle/platforming with basket-ball mechanics" has everything to fail; yet it gave life to a great experimental game. If you like "artsy" experiences that work, this game is a must. It's short and sweet.

It's stylish and have a solid theme going, and the basketball play is almost owherwhelmingly cool as you first dive in. But then the platforming begins. It's awkward and sluggish. Hitboxes and controls are inexact to the point where it's painful. And the puzzles doesn't help at all.

From a feeling of "wow, game of the year" to literally ass in less then a minute.

Nice try though. It does have potential.

BasketBelle has an interesting concept. It's a platformer with a great and touching story. I really like the artistic elements of the game. The visuals are superb, as I said, the story is touching and the audio is pretty neat as well. The only real downside is the gameplay itself. Apart from the, more or less, innovative basketball elements, it's a poorly made puzzle platformer. Terrible optimization and the control is even worse.

This is a short, fun platformer with a cute story and pretty distinct art style. The whole games takes maybe an hour, and teaches the controls/mechanics through basketball. The game is well made with a nice story about the siblings that the game is centered around. Would definitely recommend it as a quick pick up and enjoy title.

Yeah I am on the fence about this one. You can certainly do better for five bucks, which is my main gripe. My second gripe is the controls. This game certainly has some quirky indie storytelling love that I have to give it credit for. It tells a fairly uplifting story about a family.

Pros:
+Great music and ambience
+Great story that is very positive and uplifting
+Its short, which I like for indie titles - leave me slightly wanting more instead of wearing out the welcome

Cons:
-Controls are awful - I want to use AWSD instead of arrow keys, and also - jump is the same button as shoot which is screwy, although that is part of the puzzle I guess
-No full screen mode full screen mode is hard to find but you just push 'f' apparently, and the window is not resizable which means I am only using literally 1/4 my screen
-$5 is a bit overpriced considering what other games you can get for this

Great excercise in indie game storytelling, but the awful controls with the puzzle component drove me to not recommend it.

+ Cool idea (basketball + basic platforming)
+ Unique graphics
+ Cute story

- Way too short
- Last level isn't fun
- Underused ideas

[Rating: 62/100]

Not a terribly long game. But fo $5 you can't expect 60+ Hours of gamplay.

It's a very cute story and intresting game mechanic.

The Art is wonderful and takes you through the imagination you once used.

Great Job Bean!