“Baseball Riot is a fantastic sequel to Tennis in the Face, which has turned out to be the crowd-pleaser on consoles, desktop and mobile. Baseball Riot is slightly more refined in every way, and we’re looking to delight new and existing fans once again.” says Tero Alatalo, CEO of 10tons Ltd.
So already you know this is a hit, no pun intended there, and personally I really enjoyed this. Taking the basic physics on a 2D screen and smacking baseballs round to essentially kill the Electrolytes (a group of fans raging at level 11 don’t ask the game explains it for you) what’s not to like? Whilst the story is quite painful if you can even call it a story, the added touches for what is essentially a mobile phone style game on console are quirky and amusing.
As you progress through the 100+ levels that will have you pulling your hair out at times and giggling in amusement at others you will learn to enjoy the head shots, killing one fan with another, using your environment to aid maximum kills with minimum balls and essentially make sure you get all 3 stars so you can progress further and enjoy the baseball field challenges some are really hard and others you just need to find the right level and its easy as a home run.
Graphically this is exactly where you would expect a 2D platform star objective game to be, and with a name like Baseball Riot and produced by 10tons you would expect the bright colors and humorous elements. No doubt this game offers that but sometimes you just need to say that’s what it is and that’s what I got. For sound its again quite limited and even effects don’t offer a wow factor but then if it had too much it would detract from the basic game that it is?
As you navigate the map of the known world killing all Electrolyte fans the levels get progressively harder so this is not a give up its too easy kind of game, remember games like candy crush? well this is the console baseball equivalent and for just $4.99 its a steal. Perhaps not the 9pm meet up and game all night kind of game but a great game to pop in and out of as and when you have 5 minutes, but remember there is no shame in skipping a level if you can’t get all 3 stars.
There is no big secret to the success of titles like this and for the most part it’s just getting a buzz about the game, 10tons have achieved that with Tennis in the face and are building a name for these quirky titles that will keep the light-heartedness of gaming intact for a long time to come.
Summary:
When you pay sub $5 for a game you should know what to expect, if you enjoy challenge games where your own sense of pride and accomplishment are driven by bright yellow stars then Baseball Riot is the game for you.
