When asked if he was up for cricket by Casey Jones, Raphael replies with the classic line “cricket? Nobody understands cricket! You gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket!”
While I have a modicum of knowledge of miniature griddled breads, the sport of cricket, and dated Ninja Turtle references, I must stress that knowledge of crumpets does not increase your understanding of cricket.
That being said, Cricket Through the Ages attempts to explain the origins of the sport of cricket and offers a peek at how the sport was played throughout history and into the future. It does this through a lens of complete absurdity, and of course none of it is historically accurate.
This has given developer Free Lives the complete freedom to make a game that is just intended to be nothing but fun. For example, the game tells us that cricket started back in the prehistoric era and involved dinosaurs running at the cavemen and knocking them out. Quickly, the cavemen introduced balls to throw at the dinosaurs, and eventually introduced clubs to form a complete game of cricket.
However, the silliness does not stop there, in other levels we see cricket being played with jousting sticks (tell them they’re dreaming!) and lightsabers. he game is also played in space and in a dystopian future. There are a lot of variety to the levels themselves that it is hard not to crack a smile any time you move along in the game.
Cricket is presented in a way that somehow feels familiar but fits in with the overall vibe of the rest of the game. The game is played with either a player vs an AI, or player vs player. The object of the game is to get the better of your opponent by any means possible. This could mean throwing the ball at their face, smacking them with your “cricket bat,” or just flying into them as hard as possible.
Each player is armed completely at random. Whether it is a bat and ball, both have bats, both have balls, or someone is completely bare-handed, the game throws random situations at you, and you are expected to figure out the best way to get the best of your opponent. At times this can get frustrating, but you soon learn that the ragdoll physics determine the winner more than actual skill, and it feels ok afterwards.
The gameplay itself is as simple as the presentation, you just hold or tap the L button depending on your situation. Holding it spins your arms around, then letting it go either just stops your arms spinning or lets go of the ball. Tapping the button makes you hurl towards your opponent. The way you tap or hold the button down is key to how well you do in each match. Matches last until someone’s score hits ten.
As you play each mode, more modes get unlocked and adds to the ridiculousness of it all. One mode swaps limbs and has you throwing the ball with your feet instead of hands. Another mode introduces playing actual cricket (complete with senseless violence). One replaces bats and balls with bayonets and grenades. Every mode just adds to the madness of the whole thing and gives the game at least a bit of length to it.
In its pure essence, Cricket Through the Ages is not a cricket game. You will not find any fielders, ducks, umpires, wickets, tea breaks or rain stoppages. What you will find is a chaotic 2-player game where fun is the number one priority. Cricket Through the Ages is a blast to play, though the enjoyment is short lived once all the modes are unlocked and played through. It is worth a look if you like the kind of game you will boot up once every few months for a quick round or two with a friend.
Rating: 3.5/5
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