About Pixel Rebound
Pixel Rebound is a free bouncing ball game you play right in your browser, in the spirit of the ball platformers of 2000s phones. You are Rebo, a cheerful red rubber ball. Roll and bounce through side-scrolling levels, pass through every golden ring to open the exit gate, and keep clear of the thorns. Momentum matters: Rebo picks up speed downhill, bounces off walls and lands with a squash.
There are 35 levels in five worlds, and every world brings something new: water you sink in and float on, pumps that blow the ball up, rubber blocks, moving platforms, crushers, conveyor belts, springs, ice, fans, doors and keys, lava and prickly critters. The last level of every world is a guardian fight. Each level also hides three star gems for the completionists.
How to play
- Roll left and right. The ball keeps its momentum, rolls down slopes and bounces off walls.
- Jump. Tap for a hop, hold for a big bounce, keep holding to bounce again on every landing.
- Pass every ring. Upright rings are passed rolling or jumping through them, flat rings by going up or down through them. When the last ring is passed the exit gate opens.
- Avoid thorns, lava and critters. One touch pops the ball. You lose a ball and start again from the last checkpoint crystal.
- Collect star gems and extra balls. Three gems per level; extra balls give you more tries.
- Change size. Pumps make the ball big (it floats), pins make it small again (it fits through narrow gaps).
- Beat the guardian at the end of each world: land on its back while it is dizzy.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Phone / tablet | Gamepad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll | ← → or A D | The pad's ◀ ▶ | Left stick or D-pad |
| Jump (hold = higher) | Space, ↑, W or Z | JUMP button (or the pad's ▲) | A, X or Y |
| Pause | P / Esc | Pause button | Start |
| Mute | M | Sound button | – |
The five worlds
- Clover Hills: rolling hills of red brick and grass. Learn to roll and bounce, jump over thorns and gaps, climb thin ledges up a tree, squeeze through burrows and outrun a giant thornwheel. Guardian: the Bramble Beetle.
- Bubble Lagoon: sand, sea and coral. Small balls sink and paddle up, big balls float; pumps and pins switch sizes, rubber blocks throw you high and big rings need a big ball. Guardian: Captain Clamp, who blows bubbles.
- Cogworks: a factory at dusk. Ride moving platforms, cross crumbling bridges, roll against conveyor belts, time your run under crushers, fly on springs and flee a runaway cog. Guardian: the Press-O-Matic and its shockwaves.
- Gusty Peaks: snow, ice and wind. Slide on ice, float on fan updrafts, press buttons to open doors, find the key for the lock and outrun an avalanche. Guardian: the Frosty Roller.
- Ember Depths: a volcanic cave. Lava, thorn crawlers, bobbing urchins, blobs you can stomp, hot springs to swim and a last gauntlet with everything. Guardian: the Ember King.
Scores, stars and the leaderboard
A ring is worth 100 points, a star gem 500 and an extra ball 100. Finishing a level adds 1,000 points, 300 for every ball you still have and a time bonus if you beat the level's par time; guardians pay extra for every hit. The level map shows your best score, best time and the gems you found on every level. The leaderboard ranks your total, the sum of your best score on every level, so both clearing more levels and replaying old ones for a better score move you up.
Tips
Use the bounce
Holding jump keeps Rebo bouncing, and a landing at speed rebounds a little on its own. Rolling downhill into a jump carries you much further than a jump from a standstill.
Rings first, gate last
The gate stays shut until every ring is passed. If the counter says one is left, look up: many rings float above ledges or hang over gaps.
Mind your size
A big ball floats over thorny pools and fits big rings, but it cannot squeeze into tunnels. Look for the pin before a narrow passage.
Watch the guardian, not the ball
Every guardian telegraphs its attacks. Keep your distance while it attacks, jump the shockwaves and shots, and move in as soon as the stars circle its head.
Read the full Pixel Rebound guide for every world and guardian. Looking for more retro phone games? Hop up through the clouds in Jump Up, play the classic snake in Pixel Snake, or read about Java phone games in your browser.
Pixel Rebound FAQ
Is Pixel Rebound free?
Yes. Pixel Rebound is a free bouncing ball game in your browser, with no download and no account. Signing in is optional and only adds the online leaderboards, daily quests, cosmetic ball skins and keeps your cleared levels with your account.
Can I play Pixel Rebound offline?
Yes. Open the page once while you are online and your browser keeps the game. After that every level plays with no connection at all, and your cleared levels, star gems and best times are saved on your device.
How do I finish a level?
Every level has a number of golden rings. Roll or bounce through all of them and the exit gate at the end of the level opens; roll into it to finish. The counter at the top of the screen shows how many rings are left. On the last level of each world you beat a guardian instead.
How do I jump higher?
Hold the jump button. A quick tap is a small hop, holding it bounces you about three and a half tiles high, and keeping it held makes the ball bounce again every time it lands. Rubber blocks and springs throw you much higher.
What do the pumps and pins do?
A pump puffs Rebo up into a big ball: big balls float on water and fit through big rings, but they no longer squeeze through one-tile gaps or small rings. A pin lets the air out again. Many levels in Bubble Lagoon and later make you switch sizes several times.
What are the five worlds?
Clover Hills (slopes, thorns, thin ledges and a runaway thornwheel), Bubble Lagoon (water, pumps, pins, rubber blocks and big rings), Cogworks (moving platforms, crumbling blocks, conveyor belts, crushers and springs), Gusty Peaks (ice, fans, buttons that open doors and keys that open locks) and Ember Depths (lava, thorn critters, blobs and everything at once). Each world has six levels and a guardian.
How do I beat the guardians?
Each guardian walks its arena and attacks in its own way: a charge, bubbles, a slam that sends shockwaves along the floor, rolling snowballs or falling fire. After an attack it stops for a moment, dizzy, and a glowing spot shows on its back. Land on it to hit it. Touching it any other time pops the ball. Three to five hits and the exit gate opens.
How does the scoring work?
Rings, star gems and extra balls you collect add up during a level; finishing it adds a clear bonus, a bonus for every ball left and a time bonus for beating the level's par time. Your best score on every level is kept, and the Pixel Rebound leaderboards rank your total: the sum of your best scores. Replaying a level for a better score raises your total. Hardcore has its own board.
What is Hardcore mode?
DIFFICULTY: HARDCORE in the game's options gives you a single ball per level and no checkpoints. One mistake and the level starts over. It has its own leaderboard; levels you clear on either difficulty unlock the next one.
How do I play on a phone?
Tap the game to play full screen. The round pad on one side rolls the ball left and right (its up arrow and centre also jump) and the big JUMP button on the other side bounces. Turn the phone sideways for the biggest view. Left-handed players can swap the sides in the options.
Can I change how the ball looks?
Yes. Signed-in players can spend the stars from daily quests and the login streak on ball skins in Rewards: the Beach Ball, the Disco Ball and the Golden Ball. Skins never change how the ball rolls or bounces.
Related guides
- Pixel Rebound Guide: Rings, Gems, Every World and the GuardiansHow to play Pixel Rebound, the free bouncing ball platformer: rings and the exit gate, pumps and water, every world, the guardians and scoring.
- Old Java Phone Games: How to Play That Style in a BrowserWhat made mid-2000s Java (J2ME) phone games special, why the originals are hard to play today, and free browser games that bring the same style back.
- Free Browser Games With No Download and No Sign-UpWhat "free" really means for browser games, how to spot the catches, and an honest look at how NoInternet Arcade is paid for: ads, an optional pass, no paywalls.
Last updated: · NoInternet Arcade
