Ball

Release: April 28, 1980

Sales: <250, 000

Model Number: AC-01

Ball (originally known as Toss-Up in North America) is a Game & Watch game released as a part of the Silver series on April 28, 1980. It was the first Game & Watch game. It is a single-screen single-player Game & Watch.

In Game A, the player tosses two balls in the air. As the balls fall, the player must catch and toss them up again. One point is earned for each successful catch. A dropped ball will display a broken ball and end the game. The object is to continuously catch the balls that fall and throw them back up, as in juggling. In Game B, the player must juggle three balls, and each successful catch rewards ten points instead of one.

It was re-released exclusively via Club Nintendo to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Game & Watch, with the Club Nintendo logo on the back. Unlike the original release, this version includes an option to mute the game by pressing the Time button during gameplay. For members of the Japanese Club Nintendo, after an announcement in November 2009, it was shipped in April 2010 to Platinum members. For members of the North American Club Nintendo, it was available for 1200 coins from February 2011. For members of the European Club Nintendo, it was available for 7500 stars from November 2011.

Ball was recreated in Game Boy Gallery and Game & Watch Gallery 2 for Game Boy Color. It was recreated as a DSiWare game that was released for Nintendo DSi on July 15, 2009 in Japan, on April 19, 2010 in the United States and April 23, 2010 in Europe; and for Nintendo 3DS on July 7, 2011 in Europe. It also appears as a minigame for the Game Boy Camera, where players can paste images of their own face over that of the juggler.

In the Super Smash Bros. series, Mr. Game & Watch’s throws reference Ball.