Roller Ball 5

The red ball drops onto a grassy platform, rolling forward without much of a pause. In Roller Ball 5, you're right in the middle of all the action, right where all those monsters showed up and started wrecking things. The whole place is a little messier now: weird pits, bouncing enemies with big eyes, and stars scattered everywhere. The ball isn't the talkative type, but it does look braver than most. As you move along, you'll sometimes see coins or spikes set into the floor where you were planning to roll. One time, I thought I could rush a blocky monster. No luck. Had to respawn back at the start of the zone.

How to play?

Every stage in the game Roller Ball 5 works the same basic way: you guide your ball right, left, hop over the rough stuff, and duck under whatever moves faster than you do. Rolling up to a monster's side knocks it out—jumping on top works too, but you have to land it right. Most levels hide stars in off-path spots, so poking around usually pays off. Coins pile up for extra scores, though sometimes they're right behind a swinging blade or under a moving platform. If you spot a blue portal at the end, snag every last collectible you care about and then roll through to the next bit. Missing a jump mostly means you're back at the checkpoint. Sometimes you'll think, "Maybe I really can't make that jump," but then—barely—your ball bounces on the last pixel. Hey, it counts.