Tumball: Place Carefully But Don't Drop the Ball!

Get ready for a delicate balancing act in Tumball, a dexterity game where every dropped ball counts against you!

Tumball is a dexterity game published by Blue Orange Games. Designed for 2-4 players ages five and up, it plays in roughly twenty minutes.

Gameplay

The game consists of a hook that hangs over the play area. Multiple colorful balls are hung off the hook on hangers, making a cluster that suspends in the air. Each player takes a certain number of white balls and a thin white stick. The balls can slot closely onto these sticks. The goal of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all their balls.

On your turn, you place one of your balls on the end of your stick and then use the stick to carefully place the ball on top of the cluster of colored balls, before pulling the stick away. It is now the next player’s turn. If any white balls fall off the colored cluster on your turn, your tun ends and you must take any of the white balls that fell.

Review

Tumball is a unique dexterity game. The design of the cluster of balls is clever, and it’s suspenseful to watch as more and more white balls pile on top of them — you see the cluster slowly start to shift and move further and further apart!

The rules and concept of the gameplay is straightforward, easy to teach, and kids could easily learn it as well. There are two different ways to hang the cluster of colored balls to increase or decrease difficulty, which is a nice way to adapt the game for different age groups.

It doesn’t have any kind of box insert, so you’re just popping things back into an empty cardboard box, which isn’t a great design — but otherwise, everything is pretty nicely put together. There is a little bit of set up each time you play, putting the pieces together, but it takes less than a minute after the first time, and even that first time is easy.

This is a very accessible dexterity game. The simplicity is appealing, as sometimes games in this genre can get a bit fiddly. It’s probably not going to wow anyone, but it seems more geared towards families and children. It’s got a nice table presence, works well for families, and is quite light and easy to play.

Pros: A unique idea, well designed, sets up fast

Cons: No box inserts for packing it up, geared towards a slightly younger audience

Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.