Comparison

FOTONICA vs BALL x PIT

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

FOTONICA

Experience the thrill of high-speed first-person running through complex environments. Master one-handed controls for running, jumping, and diving. Compete with friends in split-screen multiplayer or aim for high scores in endless modes.

Highlights
  • First-person running gameplay
  • One-handed controls
  • 8 distinct levels
  • Procedural endless mode
  • Split-screen multiplayer
  • Unlockable achievements
  • Online leaderboards
Features
Read full description

Ever wondered what running at 140mph feels like? FOTONICA is a first-person game about the thrill of speed and traveling flawlessly through complex environments. One-handed controls: hold your finger down to run, release to jump, hold in mid-air to dive and land. FOTONICA is simple, but is not easy: it follows a tradition of arcade games that are easy to pick up and almost impossible to master. A multi-layered level design across eight different tracks, together with a procedural endless mode make for a game that is incredibly deep. Think you can outrun your friends? Try the split-screen versus challenges. The visuals are a treat for the nostalgic player but also for those hungry for new aesthetics. Every pixel is drawn to convey the maximum sense of speed, an exhilarating journey through light and void. - 8 Levels to explore and master. - Plus 3 different endless levels to compete for high-scores. - Two-player split-screen multiplayer mode on the same device! - 18 Achievements to unlock plus game stats. - Online rankings. - Beautiful, smooth, and unique vector-style graphics. - Electronic music by Michael Manning, Nicolò Sala, and legendary composer Baiyon. - 2 Difficulty settings to let you play an even faster version of FOTONICA. - Play in landscape or portrait mode. - No ads, no in-app purchases. - Record and share replays of your best runs. -OTHER REVIEWS- POCKET GAMER - "As good as competitive, hold-your-breath-every-second, first-person racing gets" Chris Priestman, pocketgamer.co.uk "EUROGAMER - 8/10 “Usain Bolt trapped in a feverish Tron daydream” Kristan Reed, eurogamer.net " "GAMEPRO - 5/5 “This one button game has a lot more mileage than you might expect” Nathan Meunier, gamepro.com " "THE CREATORS PROJECT - “A veritable black hole to lose yourself in” Emerson Rosenthal, thecreatorsproject.com " "ARS TECHNICA - “Striking and instantly impressive” Ben Kuchera, arstechnica.com" "ROCK, PAPER, SHOTGUN - “It’s a remarkable game, and unlike anything else I’ve played” John Walker, rockpapershotgun.com " -AWARDS- “Fantastic Arcade Spotlight Game 2014” “EuroGamer Expo Selection” “54th Biennale of Art in Venice Selection” ** FOTONICA is designed for iPhone 4 and above. It is NOT compatible with iPod Touch 4th Generation.

About

BALL x PIT

Engage in a brick-breaking, ball-fusing roguelite adventure. Battle enemies with ricocheting projectiles, gather resources, and build a new city. Recruit heroes and explore diverse realms in this fast-paced fantasy quest.

Highlights
  • Brick-breaking gameplay
  • Ball fusion system with 60+ randomized balls
  • Base building with 70+ unique structures
  • Hero recruitment and upgrades
  • Exploration of diverse realms
  • Roguelite progression
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

BALL x PIT is a brick-breaking, ball-fusing, base-building survival roguelite. Batter hordes of enemies with ricocheting balls and gather the riches of the pit to expand your homestead, generate resources and recruit unique heroes. BALL x PIT is a fast-paced fantasy roguelite where heroes must find the balls to plunge deeper into a seemingly bottomless pit of monsters. Develop arcane ammunition and resources in pursuit of treasure, recruiting additional heroes to aid you in your perilous quest. Ballbylon has fallen. After a meteoric and completely unexpected event annihilated the great city, all that remains is an ominous, yawning pit. Treasure hunters from far and wide flock to the city’s tomb to seek their fortune, plumbing the depths in search of Ballbylon’s scattered riches. Few return. The pit plays host to armies of barbaric creatures, hellbent on ending your quest before it even begins. Armed with a growing arsenal of magic-infused projectiles, batter your way through multiple levels of increasingly challenging obstacles to claim the ultimate prizes and rebuild New Ballbylon. Fuse Your Balls The Ball Fusion system encourages explosive experimentation with over 60 randomized balls to equip and combine during your journey. Discover overpowered combinations and unexpected synergies from hundreds of possible outcomes. Build New Ballbylon Expand New Ballbylon with over 70 unique buildings that provide gameplay bonuses and unlock further power-ups, new characters, and more! As your community grows, task homebound heroes with automated tasks to keep the resources coming while you dive deeper into the pit. Discover New Realms Face legions of diverse enemies within the pit, battling through barren deserts, frozen caverns, savage forests and more. Each region offers its own unique set of hazards on top of hordes of increasingly challenging foes and mighty, screen-filling bosses. Recruit Fellow Hunters As you explore the pit you’ll encounter fellow treasure hunters eager to add their skills to your expedition. Each character has unique, upgradable mechanics that totally change the way you play the game. Experimentation and adaptation are crucial to the success of New Ballbylon!

Screenshots

FOTONICA4 screens
BALL x PIT4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BALL x PIT at Free against FOTONICA's $4.99. BALL x PIT also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.3) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months). FOTONICA's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

BALL x PIT is free to download; FOTONICA costs $4.99 up front. BALL x PIT sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. FOTONICA asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BALL x PIT holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BALL x PIT has 4.2K ratings behind it against 71, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of FOTONICA's written reviews are positive against 71% of BALL x PIT's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FOTONICA ships an update every 6 months, BALL x PIT weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
FOTONICA versus BALL x PIT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFOTONICABALL x PIT
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (71 ratings)4.9 (4.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.6% of reviews — better70.5% of reviews
Number of ratings714.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#187 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size197 MB457 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperSanta Ragione s.r.l.Devolver

Customer experience

FOTONICA

All ratings71 ratings
Positive81.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative14.1%
Written reviews190 reviews
Positive71.6%
Neutral10.5%
Negative17.9%

BALL x PIT

All ratings3,626 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.0%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews397 reviews
Positive70.5%
Neutral10.8%
Negative18.6%

Bugs and requests

FOTONICA

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Music cutting out during gameplay
  • Jumping and controls not responsive at times
  • Crashes and freezes on certain devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content
  • Multiplayer or online features
  • Customization options
  • VR support

BALL x PIT

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

FOTONICA

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

BALL x PIT

One-time2
  • Full Game$14.99
  • Full game$14.99

Questions

Is FOTONICA free?
FOTONICA costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is BALL x PIT free?
BALL x PIT is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FOTONICA or BALL x PIT?
BALL x PIT is rated higher. FOTONICA averages 4.3 out of 5 from 71 ratings, while BALL x PIT averages 4.9 from 4.2K ratings.
Do FOTONICA or BALL x PIT have ads?
Neither FOTONICA nor BALL x PIT shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FOTONICA or BALL x PIT?
FOTONICA ships an update every 6 months, and BALL x PIT weekly. Most recently, FOTONICA was updated on October 19, 2026 and BALL x PIT on October 21, 2026.

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