It's Time to Rescue Proto and Widget

Professor Quark is always hard at work, pushing the technological envelope into areas not yet explored. His latest creation is a machine that creates a portal, transporting anyone -- or anything -- who travels through it to a far away land, perhaps even a far away planet. Because he wasn't completely confident in how safe this machine would be, he selected his trusty robot Proto for the maiden trial. After all, robots can survive zero-air environments much better than a human ever could!

Unfortunately, Quark's feline companion jumped through the portal as well and now it's up to Professor Quark to recreate the portal and retrieve not only Proto, but also his cat Widget. It takes a lot of energy to open a new portal and this is where you step in. Help Professor Quark harness enough power to rescue his friends, because the old man's noggin isn't quite as sharp as it used to be.

The Dark Matter Collector is Key

Spanning over 60 levels of transgalactic adventure and puzzle-filled action, Balhalla is a terrific arcade-style puzzle game wherein you take over the reigns of a certain Dark Matter Collector. The way you play is actually quite different than other puzzle games you may have played in the past, so pay attention.

You do not swap adjacent balls to make a matching set of three. You do not click on groups of like-colored balls to clear them from the field. Instead, look for balls in the machine that are flanked on either side by two balls of the same color. The key is that the color of the ball in the center (the one that you click) is not the same as the ones that are flanking it. The matching balls can either be on the left and the right, or on top and below.

For example, if you spot a red ball that has blue balls on either side of it, this is a valid move in the game. If the red ball has two red balls on either side, then this is not a valid move. Having found an appropriate selection (hint: if you hover your mouse over a ball, a frame will form if it is a valid move), you click on the target ball and it will absorb the two balls surrounding it. A number will then appear on the ball, showing its relative weight. In this example, the resulting number would be 3. If this 3-ball absorbs two more balls, then it takes on a weight of 5. The weight of the ball is directly proportional to the amount of energy it contains.

After a certain amount of time, as indicated by the countdown in the lower-right corner, a wiper will sweep across the screen to collect all balls that have a value between 3 and 9. These are then added to the overall energy level, as indicated by the meter at the bottom of the screen. When this meter is full, the level is complete.

Megaballs, Gigaballs, Hyberballs

As stated above, balls with a weight between 3 and 9 are swept away by the wiper. This is because when a ball reaches a weight of 10, it becomes a Megaball and it is not taken away by the wiper. Later on, you'll also discover Gigaballs (20 or more) and Hyperballs (50 or more). As the story progresses and you unearth new knowledge, the energy level will increase, as will the complexity and difficulty. Can you help Professor Quark rescue his robot and cat? You'll find out in 60 levels.