What is MeteorBall?
MeteorBall is a free puzzle game that you play in your web browser. A meteor is falling toward Earth. Before it launches, you place deflectors and curves from your toolbox on an 8-by-8 board so that its flight ends in the wormhole, not in a hole or off the edge of the board. It plays on computers, tablets and phones, with a mouse, touch or the keyboard.
How a puzzle works
- Plan, then launch. While the countdown runs, drag pieces from your toolbox onto empty tiles and rotate or remove them. The meteor sets off when the clock runs out or you press Go, and then you can only watch.
- Fixed board pieces and your own. Holes, the wormhole and the level's permanent pieces can't be moved; you work around them with the pieces you're given. Deflectors turn the meteor a quarter turn, curves bend it an eighth, bars bounce it back, and red switches turn red pieces on and off.
- Alien Ships and things worth saving. Every Alien Ship must be destroyed before the meteor may enter the wormhole. Shuttles, Satellites and Astronauts are the opposite: each one left unharmed is worth 1,000 points.
- Score. A win earns 10 points for every step of the flight, plus 1,000 for each toolbox piece you didn't need. Reach a level's Perfect Score for three stars.
Nothing is random: the same pieces in the same places always give the same flight, so every attempt teaches you something. The full rules and every piece are in How to Play.
33 official puzzles
The 33 official levels are the hand-made levels of the original game. They unlock in order, from a first straight drop to boards full of switches, permanent pieces and Alien Ships, and your best score on each is saved in your browser. The Beginner's Guide takes you from the first level to the later ones.
Community levels
Community levels are made and published by MeteorBall players. Every one was beaten by its creator before it was published and re-verified by the MeteorBall server, so it can always be won. Each has a player rating, a play count, a discussion and its own leaderboard, and the Community Rankings show the most played and best rated levels and creators.
Create your own
The Level Creator uses the same pieces as the game: lay out the board, choose the player's toolbox and preparation time, and test it. A level counts as verified only once you've beaten it yourself, and your winning score becomes its Perfect Score. Then you can publish it for everyone to play. The guide to designing great levels has ideas to start from.
No account required to play
Everything you need to play, the official levels and every community level, works without an account and without installing anything. A free account (for players aged 13 and over) is only needed to publish levels, rate them, comment, follow creators and put your scores on the community leaderboards.