[If you would rather watch or listen to this review, you can wait for the video sometime this week after all my audio is recorded. If I post any gameplay footage alongside my video, it will be some unrelated footage from bot-matches and the mini-campaign mode for added context.]
Every now and then I will come across a game outside my comfort zone to review as I like to believe I am open minded to as many genres as possible. Indie games, especially ones focused on the multiplayer scene, are always a bit of a gamble, yet with Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball you get exactly what the name says. Besides the game’s acronym looking like a bunch of Dance Dance Revolution moves, this game is a multiplayer-focused arena shooter with bots—those that are literal and those that are controlled by other players—playing a game of dodgeball. However, if you are like me who is more interested in single-player games, you shouldn’t overlook this gem because you may find something worth your time.
Now, for full context, this is the third time I’ve looked at this game across the years, and I am discussing this review mainly in terms of its bot-matches and the local multiplayer experience. If you’re more interested in the online scene, then you can always visit the official Discord server to find a niche community open to newcomers. Regardless of your preferences, this game is basically dodgeball with some extra nuts and bolts, so if you understand the general rules, then you will be on equal footing with those who have played game for years, which is what separates this game from other arena shooters.
In recent years, arena shooters have often been viewed in a negative light thanks in no small part to the high-skill requirements for entry and the downward spiral effect of multiplayer games. Many recent attempts like Lawbreakers have fallen flat on their faces due to the low player-base whereas other titles such as Quake Champions have streamlined the core gameplay across all skill levels. These issues have arguably stagnated the genre from gaining any momentum, which is likely due to the vast number of multiplayer games on the market. Even more pressing of a matter is the fact that there are far more accessible multiplayer games to choose from nowadays, which further concentrates every game to have a more dedicated fanbase. In contrast to these other games, Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball finds a compromise with all these issues by focusing the entire game around the one saving grace for many classic arena shooters, the bots themselves.
Unlike my previous review, I won’t spend several paragraphs waxing lyrical about the history of bots and why they’ve fell out of fashion with modern times. If you would like to know my thoughts on that matter, and if you want a more insightful analysis on the subject, then I would highly recommend Super Bunny Hop’s video who chronicles a brief history on bots. To keep the discussion short for this video, my focus here pertains to how this game makes the bots appear far more intelligent (or at least more human) thanks to some clever gameplay limitations that work within its thematic design.
In order to truly appreciate how Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball seamlessly blends its bots with its players, you need a cursory understanding of the limitations of bots. In the most simplest of descriptions, bots in multiplayer games rely on developers setting pathfinding nodes as well as defining enough scripts to create the illusion of fighting another player. When you factor in other variables from more modern games such as verticality, destructible terrain, and complex interactions with the environment—not to mention the grander scale of these maps—it’s no wonder why many games forgo bots all together. Alternatively, some developers create games with a mix of players and bots such as Titanfall 2, which not only makes matches appear far bigger in scale but also cements the skill-level disparity between players and bots. All these technical limitations could justify why bots are an outdated solution in multiplayer games, but Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball plays to these weaknesses by having the players control their characters much like the bots themselves.
To describe this solution another way in less convoluted terms, the game is designed to have players play the game around the same rules and limitations as the bots. While you won’t be limited to moving along the bots’ nodes, you will always be moving in any given direction and you will need to factor any change in direction because it’s meant to be stiff. Additionally, jumping and dashing are delayed responses, and they both require time to recharge unless you have certain power-ups. This issue becomes more important when leaping off ramps or making precise jumps to other platforms as you will have zero control in mid-air. Finally, the player’s outline of their HUD is more than a cosmetic touch-up for immersion; it’s a reminder to consider your own blind spots because you need to catch the ball in the center of your screen. Once you understand these restrictions and how to spot them from your opponents, you will have a hard-enough time telling the players from the bots because the game has conditioned you to fight against them all the same way. The implementation of this idea is done so well that it’s honestly difficult to figure out which came first, the bots or the game idea itself.
Now, while I find all this stuff fascinating to talk about all day long—and don’t tempt me because you know that I could—this game offers plenty of other reasons to play it with and without your friends. For the solo enthusiasts, there is an arcade mode with leaderboards, which functions as a mini-campaign with some simple rogue-lite mechanics such as random purchasable upgrades. The level order, upgrades, power-ups, encounters and even bosses are slightly altered with every run, so it’s a good side offering if you want something with more structure. While you won’t get your mileage with this one mode due to the limited amount of variety, one look at all the options you can play around with for bot-matches will give you plenty of excuses to load up a couple of matches every now and then. For those with some close friends nearby, you can also play this game with up to four players locally; if your friends are too far away, then you can play with your other friends online with or without Steam Remote Play Together (although I wouldn’t recommend playing a game like this with added latency.)
In addition to all these robust features, this game has unlockable, cosmetic rewards that you can earn naturally by playing the game regardless of the mode as well as Workshop support for even more content by users. Given this game’s age, the level of support from users and the developer has pretty much ended since the developer has moved on to his next game, Factory Town, so bear that in mind if you’re looking for a more active scene. Although, now that I’ve brought this topic up, I do feel obligated to mention that you can buy the components or the cosmetics from the Steam marketplace along with Mystery Boxes for random rewards. Before you rush out to decry the existence of loot-boxes in an indie game, you can directly purchase these cosmetics under a couple of dollars from the developer or trade them for more or less on the marketplace. You can also often find this game on sale for less than two dollars, so I really do not find this system in anyway exploitative or unreasonable. If anything, the crafting system is rather superfluous unless you want to get all the items for free, which is the only reason I can fathom why it even exists.
At the end of the day, however, whether it involves bots or disco, dodgeball is still dodgeball, which is why I find it difficult to say anything else other than how Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball is a great time. Granted, there are tons of wacky modifiers such as jet-packs, ball power-ups, and gimmick modes to make it more zany, but if you don’t like the simplicity or the sport, then this game will probably not change your opinion all that much. In other words, if you ever wanted to enjoy an arena shooter like Quake, then there is Quake Live or Quake Champions, and if you go into this game looking for something as complex, then you’re not going to find it here. However, if you have ever wanted to try an arena shooter without worrying about the skill-gap or needing friends, then Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball may be best suited for you. (Or for those who need a healthy outlet smashing robots that remind you of a Claptrap unit running away screaming.)
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