Ding Dong XL

 Switch
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9

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  1. LevelsAndGear
    Mar 22, 2022
    7
    For what it is, it's great. For a buck, it's fantastic. This is a simplistic arcade high score chaser that would be great fun on party night with friends, and this would fit right in to a "one more try" lineup at an arcade or bar.

    Basically, it's a modern take on the old Atari Classic "Freeway" - Where your goal is to get a ball back and forth across the screen with one-button gameplay.    For what it is, it's great. For a buck, it's fantastic. This is a simplistic arcade high score chaser that would be great fun on party night with friends, and this would fit right in to a "one more try" lineup at an arcade or bar.

    Basically, it's a modern take on the old Atari Classic "Freeway" - Where your goal is to get a ball back and forth across the screen with one-button gameplay. It's a timing/vision tester. There are power ups, shiny fun visuals, and a cool song. The game also boasts 3 play modes to make sure you get more than your dollar's worth, as well as some skins for the ball.

    It's not going to change your life, but it's a fun way to kill a little bit of time, and is certainly made extremely well.

    My improvement suggestions:
    1. This game is crying out for a local multiplayer mode. 2 to 4 players. Would be a great party game.
    2. A few more songs for soundtrack. I admit, I like the song, but when I was going after that high score I wanted to hear something different eventually.

    Pros: Sharp, simple arcade style gameplay.
    Cons: None, really.    … Expand
  2. bobbykjack
    May 26, 2019
    6
    Ding Dong XL is a game that is so basic in concept, it’s difficult to get very excited about. It does, however, offer addictive, challenging gameplay for those with a strong competitive streak.

    These types of one-button game typically require least in manual dexterity, and most in reflexes, reactions, and foresight. Ding Dong XL is exactly this: Pong (if you controlled both bats, and    Ding Dong XL is a game that is so basic in concept, it’s difficult to get very excited about. It does, however, offer addictive, challenging gameplay for those with a strong competitive streak.

    These types of one-button game typically require least in manual dexterity, and most in reflexes, reactions, and foresight. Ding Dong XL is exactly this: Pong (if you controlled both bats, and they were ‘sticky’, and you couldn’t move them from the centre) + the traffic from Frogger (with a lot more variation). Plus power-ups.

    It’s essentially a game of ‘chicken’, a judgement on exactly when you need to fire the ball from one side to the other, in order to avoid colliding with the junk flying across, in either direction — usually both. Each piece of debris does one of a variety of different things, indicated by its colour and shape: some expand and contract, some rotate, etc. A small number of power-ups do things like slow obstacles down, allow you to crash straight through them, or destroy all the bad stuff currently on-screen.

    The neon graphics, rhythmic soundtrack, and in-your-face animation remind me very much of Lumines; there’s always a lot going on in the background and periphery, as the game constantly tries to put you off, daring you to fail. This is a welcome refinement to the core gameplay, but it can get frustrating at times.

    What’s here is well done — there just isn’t that much here. The more you play, the more stuff appears to get in your way, but nothing really changes too much. It’s essentially a ‘rinse-repeat’ cycle: start, stay alive as long as you can, set a new high score, try to stay alive longer the next time, etc. It’s a compelling challenge if you like setting personal bests, but it’s certainly the kind of game that some will tire of pretty quickly.    … Expand
  3. sitebender
    Jul 13, 2019
    5
    One button game without depth that really isn't that enjoyable. Back and forth while more objects get thrown across the screen. I think the addiction aspect comes from the 1 hit you've lost and lives last a brief moment depending on your skill..
  4. Grubb
    May 2, 2020
    7
    Good purchase for the sale, but I admit the hit boxes need work. It is also frustrating how some of my data was deleted after I exited the game.
  5. LucienLife
    Jun 27, 2021
    7
    Its hard to give this a really high score considering that you can play it just by pression one button, but its fine for 99 cents. Its not something you come back to a lot, but if you have 10 minutes of free time, you might play it.