Red Ball 4: Vol. 1 is the first chapter of a five-chapter story arc known as Red Ball 4. As with previous Red Ball games, it's a side-scrolling platformer that focuses on the adventures of Red Ball.
The world of the joyful, bouncing Red Ball has been invaded by the morose Gray Cube army. The Gray Cubes desire total domination and start by turning balls into cubes. The player's goal is to help Red Ball defeat this enemy by rolling and bouncing across the land to face off against Gray Cube monsters and their boss Monocle Cube.
The player must help Red Ball navigate obstacles and traps as well. The terrain features holes, hills, cliffs, gorges, chasms and deep water bodies. Thankfully, the player can take advantage of a wide variety of objects found on Red Ball's path to make the journey easier, including bridges, planks, boxes, ramps, boulders, windmill blades, pulleys, levers, water wheels and swinging platforms.
Red Ball 4: Vol. 1 also tasks the player with collecting stars along the way. When they collect enough stars, they receive silver and gold medals. They can also upgrade the Red Ball as they progress through the game to other colors, fruit-based balls and sports balls.