Before work, I popped on my 360 to try out the trial version of Switchball, though the demo levels are little more than a basic tutorial and one ‘real’ level. There’s a lot more emphasis on environmental interaction (e.g., pushing crates into place) and less on getting the precisely right momentum and direction compared to Marble Blast Ultra.

Instead of picking up one-use powerups, you change your ball’s state at certain chargers to give you certain abilities. You usually need a specific ability to cross certain parts, so it doesn’t feel like you have as much freedom to try and use the abilities in unexpected ways.

The graphics are kinda nice, but I did notice significant screen tearing at certain points. I normally don’t mind too much, but it was pretty blatant at spots. I hope there’s a bit more variety and freedom in the full game, but it’s hard to tell from the trial. I’ll probably wind up buying the full thing anyway.