OddBallers certainly live up to their name. It’s weird in name and very weird in nature. Packed with silly mini-games and rabid-worthy antics, this quirky Nintendo Switch multiplayer title could easily fall flat beautifully. Thankfully, despite some serious user interface issues, OddBaller’s pointless gameplay managed to bring a smile to my face.
The game requires two to four players (either local, online, or AI) and pits them against each other in various mini-games. Each outing is a twist on dodgeball, ranging from a fairly simple “last man standing” to more zany concepts. Whether you’re tasked with catching the most fish, beating a car, or playing a musical instrument for a long time, there’s always a ball (and other objects) nearby that you can hurl at your opponent to stop them. Let It’s these more left-wing minigames that are the most fun.
For example, a musical instrument game has a trumpet on the ground. Each player must try to grab it. This causes the character to start playing silly tunes while randomly running around. A timer overhead shows how long you’ve been playing, while other players throw items to keep the trumpet away from you. The objective is to hold the instrument for the longest time. It’s very silly, but hilarious.
There are plenty of moments like this that bring genuine laughs, like catching a chicken and throwing it into a truck, or dodging lava from a nearby volcano. Some, like the Lava example, are reminiscent of Mario Party’s own mini-games, making them less original but still playable.
You have several options to customize your experience. You can choose either local or online, choose the number of rounds, and even decide which mini-games to play. There are also mini-games for team cooperation.
Another customizable feature is character selection. Simply put, you can choose between Rabid or “Oddball”. Oddballs are weird-looking humans who can change their skin color, facial expressions, and clothing options to their heart’s content. However, it looks really weird. I preferred to use Rabid. These creatures can also wear distinctive hats and other objects that help distinguish them.
OddBallers are at their best when playing with their buddies. The online connection just works, as evidenced by the delightful Pure Nintendo Game Night. However, I’ve struggled to find someone else to connect with, and I can replace the player with her AI character if there’s a shortage of real people. These bots leave a lot to be desired. No one wants to be paired in a 2v2 match. OddBallers is not meant to be played alone.
Despite all this pointless fun, there are some problems under the hood. One of the main problems is the lack of an intuitive interface. Figuring out what’s going on on Earth can prove to be a frustrating experience at first. Once solved it’s fine, but the ambiguity at the beginning is a bad design. We also ran into some glitches that are usually related to pausing. Twice he skipped an entire minigame while paused. The load times also seem to be longer than necessary.
But it’s the weird little additions that make this game so unique. You never know what is going to happen. Electric fences will randomly attack you, dynamite will explode, lawn mowers will run over you and chickens will dance around. It’s chaotic to say the least, and really funny.
Overall, OddBallers delivers the odd collection of multiplayer mayhem you’d expect. Laughter abounds in this title despite its user interface flaws. Please be careful not to play alone.
