A screen shot from the promotional video for Radballs by Glow Play (note the Nintendo power glove)
If you were waiting for the perfect ’80s-inspired gameplay for your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, you’re in luck. Introducing Radballs, an app by Glow Play that awesomely combines the style of the past with the technology of the present. The creative direction, design, soundtrack, and a portion of the programming for Radballs was completed by the talented Neil Voss, as was the creative direction for the trailer. And speaking of the trailer (from which today’s screen shots were taken), it was filmed by Bill Sharp and art directed/animated by Brandon Lori and Andrew Montague at MPC New York. Neil Voss served as creative direcor.
Radballs cleverly builds on the puzzle-rific tradition set by gaming favorites like Tetris and Bejeweled, then cranks it up another level by adding cheeky graphics in ’80s motifs and a synth-based soundtrack featuring acts like OK Go and Com Truise. The music is an integral part of the game, adding a true audio dimension to the undeniably rad interactive fun.
I could go on… But since today we’re spotlighting the game’s visual style, I’ll leave the reviews to the experts, like Sean Carey from touchArcade, whose piece you can read here. By all accounts, Radballs is addictive in the best possible way! On to this week’s Mid-Week Match-Up, which is actually a collection of match-ups featuring Radballs screen shots and retro-fabulous patterns straight from the ’80s. Can you spot the similarities?!
First we have an angular, tropical screen shot from the Radballs promotional video, coupled with a tropical fabric titled 6.10.80 from the “Wave” collection by Philip de Leon for Alexander Henry Fabrics. The fabric image is from 1980s Fashion Print by Marnie Fogg, an excellent ’80s fashion and textile resource available at amazon.com. Here’s the match-up:
A Radballs promotional screen shot (left); 6.10.80 by Philip de Leon (right)
Next we get wild with this animal print-themed screen shot, coupled with a fabric design previously featured on a 1980s dress by American designer Diane Fres. Once again, the fabric image comes from 1980s Fashion Print by Marnie Fogg:
A Radballs promotional screen shot (left); A leopard print dress fabric designed by Diane Fres (right)
For our third match-up, we are lucky to have the help of Mirror80 favorite Dennis Zanone, whose amazing collection of Memphis-Milano treasures has been featured in several of our previous blog posts. This time, his assortment of fabrics by Memphis Group designer Nathalie du Pasquier takes center stage. Below we have a striking Radballs screen shot in primary colors, coupled with a du Pasquier fabric of similar color and angular design:
A Radballs promotional screen shot (left); A fabric design by Nathalie du Pasquier, image courtesy of Dennis Zanone (right)
We’ll top it off with an ’80s-fabulous lightning bolt motif featured on both Radballs screen shot and Nathalie du Pasquier fabric. How could you not love the neon pizazz?!:
A Radballs promotional screen shot (left); A fabric design by Nathalie du Pasquier, image courtesy of Dennis Zanone (right)
Want more ’80s-inspired designs? Check out the goodies section of the Radballs website for downloadable wallpaper! A special thank-you to Radballs for its general radness, and to Dennis Zanone for making this blog post possible. Don’t forget to enjoy the Radballs teaser/trailer below… Have a playful Wednesday!
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