Quick Review: Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball

A pretty long title that means “Dodgeball with robots on flashy fields”. Hm, that title would be even longer, and not nearly as interesting.

He's over there! Must throw something at him!

Developed by Erik Asmussen, published by 82 Apps and released on Steam on February 19th, 2015, Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball is exactly what it says on the tin. You’re a robot. You move around rolling on a wheel. You play dodgeball against other robots. The arenas are full of bright, flashy colors, with techno music blaring. The title’s misleading, though, that’s not disco music! 

There’s no story to this one. There’s a handful of Single Player modes to play against CPU opponents, and several options to have multiplayer matches either locally or online. In the Single Player options, you've got a Training mode that explains the basics; an Arcade mode in which you play against a single opponent, then two, then three, and so on; a Challenges section in which you can choose the stage and the mode; and a Botmatch that you can create against up to 11 opponents, although apparently that mode is up on multiplayer and players can join in by replacing NPC robots.

Too bad it's so difficult to get a clear shot.

Multiplayer matches can be played in any of 21 modes, with the possibility to create your own as well. Per the game’s nature, a lot of work went into creating plenty of different experiences for the players. It also allows players to create their own modes, which is a pretty good addition. That said, I can’t think of many ways to innovate on dodgeball games…

There are tons of customization options for your robot, from setting its overall color to giving it a unique set of facial features. You can even give it a “team” by choosing a Steam group you’re a part of, and that group’s avatar will appear on its back! That said, I was disappointed that so many customization items had to be bought with real money.

Why is customizing robots so expensive?

Fuck you, I was stuck in the corner!

As for gameplay now. The characters move very quickly; therefore, it’s a challenge to control your robot around the often complex arenas, all while picking up balls and throwing them at other fast-moving robots, and avoiding the balls thrown at you. The bright and flashy colors on the arenas often make it difficult to see around, which can be a hindrance. Seeing these flashing colors hurt my eyes after a while. The very fast-paced gameplay takes a LOT of practice to get used to. For the time I spent playing, I was bad at aiming, even worse at avoiding. (I think I was better at dodgeball in real life, and I suck at sports!) There are several trick shots that the player can try, and a lot of mechanics that exist to be used in team play and more complex strategies (such as tossing the ball to teammates, or fake-tossing to keep an opponent guessing). All of it would require hours and hours of practice, and unfortunately I don’t have enough free time for that.

Still no clear shot? Damnmit!

Not that I’d have a chance to play this game much in online multiplayer, since it’s become somewhat barren, unfortunately. I couldn’t find a lot of players. The single player modes are fun, even if I turned out to be pretty bad at them. Still, the game is a pretty clever idea overall. From the 21 different modes (or 27? Even the Steam store page doesn’t seem sure) to the large customization options for your robot (although most of them must be purchased), I can feel there was a lot of creativity put in this. That said, my personal experience was punctuated by moments of disorientation as I struggled to find my way around the often-labyrinthine arenas, doubled by the speed at which everything was going. My experience wasn’t helped by the constant changing colors that were too flashy for my poor eyes that had to stare at them for so long. That last one could be improved in the Options menu, obviously, by dimming the lights and colors ever so slightly. Even then, I couldn’t adapt to the speed of the game.

That said, just because I am bad at it doesn’t mean the game itself is bad. The graphics and music are pretty nice, and while I didn’t enjoy the gameplay much, I like that it has so many options for players who want to go pro. I doubt I’ll be dedicating a lot of time to it personally, but I see what the idea was and I applaud the effort, even if I think there could have been some tweaks brought to it, or some changes to make it less disorienting and confusing. I doubt I'll play more of it, but if you think you could find something to your liking in this, head over to the Steam page on which the game is sold for 9.99$.