When I was a kid I loved two things. Soccer and KungFu Movies and now I can have the best of both worlds in KungFu Kickball. Around the world, mystical fighters gather together to take part in the age-old tournament of kicking a ball into a big aul bell. What else would you do with all those years of KungFu training?
Simplicity is key
At this point in my reviews, I would be telling you all about the game’s story. Not with KungFu Kickball because there isn’t one. KungFu Kickball is an indie sports/fighting hybrid game in the old 2D style. The game looks and feels great. It is really easy to pick up but just like, let’s say Rocket League, it is hard to master. The matches start when the ball is dropped into the center of the arena. Your job is to use all your KungFu skills to ring your opponent’s large bell on their end. See simple. The only problem is, is that you and your opponent have special abilities and both can use the Dragonball phase movement.
The characters and soundtrack are what make this game fun for me. The characters themselves are for a better word, knock-offs of martial arts fighters. They range from Dragonball’s Krillin, Fu Man Chew, Bruce Lee, and KungFu Panda. Each character as I said has his or her special kick or punch that sends the ball flying down the screen. The soundtrack too is amazing. Each arena has its theme and music. From 70’s KungFu music on Krillin’s level right up to what to me sounds like Egyptian-sounding Death Metal icons Nile. This game has it all and I love it.
Play the ball
The levels are all 2D side-scrolling arenas. They all are more or less the same layout but with different obstacles in certain ones. The controls are two buttons and the right stick. Nothing fancy just dive right in. The AI is very impressive and on the higher difficulties can be challenging. This makes KungFu Kickball difficult but not overly difficult. I played a few games online too. The servers held up well but were a bit laggy sometimes but no major issues.
There is a great level of customization in the game also. Especially in Custom Match when playing with/against friends and the AI. You can adjust everything from whether the game is timed, points-based, two-point scores, gravity strength, speed, and even the ball. Changing the ball can be chaos. It can be square, a fireball that hurts you on impact, or even the Blowfish Studios’ logo that sticks to you.
KungFu Kickball missed a trick with there not being much of a story element. It let the single-player part of the game down and with that limited the replayability. Sometimes you can make a game too simple. Yes it is easy to pick up and yes it is a fun party-type game but that is it. The example is, I had great fun playing it with my son, 1v1, 2v2 coop it was great. I turned it on the other night and I think I played a handful of games before it got stale. It is a well-made and looking game and if you have a few friends or family over it will get the party started alright.
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