King Oddball is the new game developed by 10tons that was recently released on the Playstation Network. King Oddball features fun and addictive drop-in, drop-out gameplay, simple controls anyone can enjoy, loads of physics based puzzles, and a whole lot of charm.
The basic premise of King Oddball is simple. You play as an entity named King Oddball who has descended from the skies to end the world. No one knows why he has decided to end the world, but it is that ambiguity of story that adds to the charm and fun to the game. 10tons just throws you into this weird world that has an absurdest quality about it. It is certainly unexpected but it is refreshing to see something take form the way this game did.
King Oddball is comprised of a large map that is separated into several smaller squares. Each square represents a playable stage. The stages you cleared will be blank while stages you have yet to clear will show tanks on them. When you land on a tank square, this is where the gameplay starts. Core gameplay itself closely resembles Angry Birds, but with a few tweaks and stylistic changes. Granted, anything that involves hurling objects at enemies will be described as such, but this game’s resemblance is quite strong. In the game, you play as King Oddball and he is shown in the top of the screen. From this position, King Oddball uses his extra long tongue to hurl rocks down at the enemies below. His tongue swings back and forth like a pendulum as you determine the angle at which you want to hurl the rock. You need to tap the screen at the perfect time to throw the rock at your desired target, which are typically tanks, foot soldiers, helicopters, etc. Once you clear the stage of enemies, you are scored based on your performance and you are free to choose another square.
Each stage gives you a set number of rocks to hurl. As a result of your rocks being so limited, you need to take out 2 – 4 enemies with a single throw to be successful. Often times you will have to experiment with different approaches to a stage. This experimentation aspect adds a lot of enjoyment to the game. King Oddball features explosions boxes, and a great physics system, to make experimentation even more enjoyable. Typically, your first attempt serves as an introduction to the stage but before long you’ll learn a quirk in the stage design that will contribute to winning the stage. It is these hidden elements that make this game engaging and learning that there is no one right way to complete a stage makes it all the more fun.
If you are looking for a challenge, King Oddball has a steep but forgiving difficulty curve. It starts out fairly easy but before long the difficulty ramps up and you’ll have to plan out your moves more carefully. I only found myself stuck a few times, but when I would put it down, and come back to it later with a different mindset, I was always able to progress. The game is so simple, only requiring the player to decide when to release the rocks, that all ages can play and enjoy it. It has that same accessible quality that makes Angry Birds so popular on smart phones.
An example of the crazy stages King Oddball has to offer.
King Oddball is a very pleasant game to look at. From the character design of the main character, to its originality, even the look of the enemies all compliments each other nicely. The hand drawn, cartoonish look to the game helps it appeal to not just core gamers, but to all ages equally. With games being so dark and dreary these days, King Oddball is a needed pallet cleanser. The backgrounds of the stages are particularly beautiful. They pick up the lush tones in the clouds and adds nicely to the overall aesthetic.
One of my few complaints with King Oddball is that the gameplay doesn’t change from stage to stage. Each stage just asks you to hurl rocks down at enemies, and as a result, I couldn’t play this game for more than a few hours. However, if you play the game in smaller chucks, the game is fantastic and highly rewarding. Another minor gripe I have with the game is that it doesn’t do enough to separate itself from other games. This game feels heavily influenced by Angry Birds and while every game borrows something from games before it, this game borrows a little too much. The gameplay is so similar that if someone has played Angry Birds a lot, they may get tired with the game more quickly than someone who has never experienced that type of game before.
King Oddball succeeds in being a fun alternative to games like Angry Birds despite its resemblance to the original game. It manages to do enough differently, while encouraging experimentation. Anyone can enjoy King Oddball, as it is extremely accessible. It packs a lot of charm into a small package, and it fits perfectly on the Vita platform.
This review is based on a review code of the PlayStation Vita version of King Oddball developed by 10tons Games.
- Accessable
- Lots of Charm
- Slightly Repetitive