King Oddball is a simple, physics based game. In a nutshell, you are an angry alien king (that looks like a ball), who uses his tongue to fling rocks and destroy the world. This game is probably quite similar to a number of physics games you have likely played on your mobile device. You launch the ball by tapping the screen and try to ricochet off enemies (tanks, helicopters and troopers) or objects and destroy every enemy on screen before running out of rocks. Every Level sees you start with 3 rocks. You can earn an extra rock by destroying 3 enemies or more with one throw, and 2 rocks if you get 6 or more with one throw. You will also get an extra rock if your rock somehow bounces back and hits the king or if you can launch an enemy trooper into the king. The Trophy List is fairly straight forward, with most coming simply through normal play. There are a lot of Levels to complete but the game is strangely addictive, even though it rarely changes mechanics from the first Level on.

Overall a fun distraction, especially as a time waster on the Vita but may not be nearly as enjoyable on the PS4 or if played in extended stretches.

Step 1 - Complete the Main World Levels

When you start the game, you will be on the main World Map. This is divided into 9 grids of about 16 Levels per grid. You must complete a grid completely before moving on to the next section. Your goal will be to destroy all enemies without running out of rocks. There is typically no single best way to approach a Level. Often times, trial and error will be the way to progress. Take note of how the rock's trajectory changes based on the angle of your throw. Explosives are often a good target and generally, aiming for enemies towards the top of the screen is a good first target as the rock is likely to hit additional enemies as gravity takes it down. The difference between a multi-chain and a single take out is often only a slight variance in your launch angle.

This is made a bit more difficult by the swinging mechanic. Unlike say, Angry Birds, you cannot accurately replicate throws. This increases the challenge, but can also lead to some insane combos as the rock ricochets. Due to the unpredictability of the bounces, clear walkthrough videos would be difficult to produce or replicate. There are some videos on Youtube, but personally I only rarely found them necessary or helpful. There are no scores or extra benefits from completing the Level with extra rocks remaining, therefore just focus on getting done and moving to the next Level in this step and a number of miscellaneous Trophies will pop as you go along. You will also unlock access to the One Rock, Grenade and Diamond Levels through progression.

Trophies earned in this step

All Birds With One Stone
Head Shot!
Destroyer of a Thousand
Thousand Throws
Four for One
Six Pack
World Ender


Step 2 - Complete the Grenade Levels

This is the first bonus section, unlocked in the 3rd grid. To complete these Levels you throw grenades instead of rocks, you will only start with 2 but have the added benefit of an explosive projectile. You will not gain additional grenades with kill multiplier chains in this mode.

Trophy earned in this step

Grenadier


Step 3 - Complete the One Rock Levels

This is the second bonus section, unlocked in the 6th grid. To complete these Levels you have only a single rock. You will gain additional grenades with kill multiplier chains in this mode, so the best strategy is to try to get a 3x+ combo with your initial throw. These are definitely trickier than the Grenade Levels, but should not take too long to master.

Trophy earned in this step

You Rock!


Step 4 - Unlock and Complete the Moustache World

After clearing the game, you will need to find 8 hidden Moustache icons, in order to unlock the Moustache World, located in the lower left corner of the World Map. Here, you will need to replay all the main Levels, presented in a mirror image format. This should not pose much problem if you were able to complete them in the Main World, and again your strategy will remain similar.

Trophies earned in this step

Stash of 'Stash
Secret Moustache World


Step 5 - The Diamond Challenge

This will be the most difficult step, here you will need to replay all 131 Levels again but this time you must have 1 rock (the diamond) left over. The basic strategy will remain the same but here it will be critical that you maximize your combos, getting extra rocks as often as possible. Typically you should aim for a 3x combo with your first throw in most Levels. It is worth noting that you CAN use the diamond, and in a few Levels you will need to. In order to pass the Level, the diamond throw must either ricochet back to hit the king (can be useful if you have only one enemy left and can bank the shot to bounce back to the king) or if you can hit a 3x (or more) combo with the diamond, which will reward you with a bonus diamond even if the combo clears the board.

Trophy earned in this step

Full of Diamonds


Step 6 - Clean up

This step may not be required, but there are a few miscellaneous Trophies that may not come naturally during playthrough. I have listed them separately so please refer to the Trophy Guide for details.

Trophies earned in this step

Headache
More Than Perfect!
Golden Five
Kingslayer