Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Toasterball by developer Les Crafteurs:
Toasterball (The Explanation)
Toasterball is a single-player or multiplayer breakout-like where you play as a toaster. The way you play Toasterball is by flinging yourself upward and shooting toast to knock a ball back through your opponents walls. Using both L and R buttons on the Switch controller you can move yourself left and right. By holding down both buttons longer you can get a higher jump, as well as a short double jump.
Each level in Toasterball is designed uniquely with various traps and rules. There were levels where the floor moved you up and down as the ball careened back and forth. I experienced slick icy floors where the toasters slid uncontrollably across the ground. There was even a pong level that changed the game into a 2D sidescrolling level with oldschool pixel graphics.
Along with the varied level designs there were hazards as well. One hazard had an electricution tower that would shock and immobilize my toaster. I came across a random portal one that would allow me to send my opponent through the famous orange and blue portals. There was another variant that had push buttons on the ceilings which when hit raised the barrier behind each team making a larger opening for the ball to go through.
There are five arenas each with their own designs. There is the standard arena which pits you in the center of a huge crowd. Toasterball has a forest area with trees and wildlife in the background. Other maps include a street, beach, and frozen medeival castle.
Overall Toasterball feels like one of those games you would breakout for some multiplayer fun after a party has died down and there were only four of you left awake. The game is fun to play, but because the controls can be a bit finicky in timing your jumps and pieces of toast it may not be for everyone. The addition of computer AI to practice and play against is good and there is enough variety in the variants and maps that each match plays out differently.
It is hard for me to recommend a game like Toasterball without the caveat that if you enjoyed games like Boomerang Fu and Alpaca Ball alongside family and friends, then you might just like Toasterball as well. I played Toasterball for some of EXPlay time with my daughter to see how the 2-player worked and while we had fun, she found it a bit frustrating to control and hasn’t wanted to play the game again.
Toasterball (The Gameplay)
Game Specifications:
Developer: Les Crafteurs
Publisher: Seaven Studio
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Multiplayer, Party, Arcade, Sports
No. of Players: 1-4 (Single System)
Release Date: NA| EU: November 30, 2023
Price: $9.99
File Size: 1017 MB
Nintendo.com Listing
