Grudgeball: Enter the Chaosphere Review

People praise Adventure Time as the modern cartoon arguably more beloved by adults than children, but its mellow, offbeat counterpart Regular Show feels like a borderline Adult Swim show. It even started off as an acid trip visualization. However, regardless of age or experience with psychedelics, everyone should be able to get into Grudgeball: Enter the Chaosphere, a retro-futuristic take on dodgeball taken from the show's universe.

In Grudgeball: Enter The Chaosphere, players control a dodgeball team and try to win matches consecutively to descend further into the arena. Even if the names Mordecai and Rigby mean nothing to you, the dodgeball gameplay still has plenty to offer. With its focus on timing and arcade antics, it ends up feeling like a Mario sports game. Players swipe to pass the ball between team members who automatically move on their own. They then swipe towards opponents to launch an attack. Keep connecting and the enemy loses health until they disappear. However, combatants can shield at just the right moment to block and follow up with a counter attack. Quick hits and fake-outs keep tensions high, and sneaky moves like bouncing off the back wall to hit unguarded butts keep players thinking on their feet. Multiplayer matches on the same device have about as much trash talk as a good NBA Jam session.

The dodgeball gameplay works well enough to carry the game on its own, but obviously you’ll get a lot more out of Grudgeball if you’re a fan of the source material. Teams consist of different Regular Show characters, and leaders give different stat boosts. Characters also level-up over time and earn skills. The art and voices look and sound exactly like the cartoon, and the purple neon sci-fi dome of the Chaosphere itself is totally in line with the show's retro 1980s futurism. Think Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon meets American Gladiators for kids. This is also the same show that once had an episode about a laserdisc guardian.

Whether you’re a fan of Regular Show, dodgeball, or both, you’ll like Grudgeball: Enter the Chaosphere. I’d make another Regular Show reference here but I’ve exhausted all of my knowledge.