Kabounce Review (Shyny Magikarp)
So you heard about the 48 hour period when you could download the game for free but you missed it? Or you’re just now stumbling upon the game because it finally got a steady position as an indie title? Whatever the case, I want to tell you that, even though many got the game for free, Kabounce absolutely deserves your money.
In the past few years I have grown increasingly more interested in Alternative Future Sports Games (AFSGs). Think of games like Rocket League, Laser League, etc. And if there is one thing I’ve noticed during this time, it’s that indie developers don’t realize just how crucial a few things are to creating a stable and healthy competitive atmosphere. I’m happy to say that it seems like Stitch Heads fully understand what they need to maintain a competitive and exciting indie game.
Kabounce is pretty easy to get a grasp on. There are two main game modes. The first is a competitive pinball game where you play as the pinball. The main game mode is team based (4v4) and you will work with your teammates to convert bumpers and hoops to your control by bouncing against them and flying through them, and slamming opponents to steal their points. At 3 regular intervals during the match a gate will open which allows you to finally score the points you have been storing in the meantime. The end game tally is made between points scored and field control. The second is a set of time trials which have online leaderboards and also a tougher “gauntlet” mode with tougher obstacles.
The gameplay is marvelous for a number of reasons. First of all, from the very get-go, the movement is just sublime. Whether you’re playing the normal game mode where you bash bumpers and slam opponents to score points, or racing against the clock in challenge modes, the movement is a blast. It’s speedy, but controlled, and one of those easy to pick up, yet hard to master things (something all great AFSG’s have).
The next reason the gameplay is good is that the abilities and layouts of the stages support more than one playstyle. You might be a player who just uses bumpers while you stalk your kill, or you might be a player who avoids any kind of slamming. In truth, they’re both viable strategies, and can both have large impacts on the game. You may be able to score more points by slamming enemies, but by focusing on movement you can avoid the risk of losing your hard earned points (this is especially true because most maps have more than 1 floor, so to speak, and slamming opponents aerially is significantly harder than on the ground), and also maintain field control, which is an important and, I believe, underrated, factor in the final score tally.
Another reason the gameplay is great is because of the ebb and flow of the match. Of course, at any point you can slam to steal points, but in the early round it’s pretty pointless, because nobody is worth anything. However as the round goes on and you rack up more points, the enemy begins to rain hell down as they try to slam you. This all culminates into complete chaos every time the gate opens, both in terms of number of slams and the area they’re concentrated in. Shortly thereafter though, things cool down again as players focus on racking up points. The flow is brilliant.
Finally, the strategy involved at the end of a match is subtle but critical. Do I turn in as soon as the final gate opens so I don’t run the risk of a crowded gate in the dying seconds, and instead focus on field control? Or do I hold my points to the last second to turn in the most possible so no points go to waste? How many points do I need to make a turn in worth it instead of trying to control the field? Questions like these may not appear obvious to the new player, or to even some who have 10’s of hours, but they have critical implications on the results. It’s all done brilliantly. The game is not only reactions and actions, it’s also some critical decision making.
These last few things are mostly focused on the main game mode, but I don’t want to diminish the awesomeness of the challenges mode, either. They also got a healthy amount of depth. For starters, almost every level is built to have a normal completion route, and also a hidden or, at the very least, more difficult to execute route. There are hidden loot balls throughout the challenges, and the challenges have a much more difficult gauntlet mode! Beyond that, you can do all of these things online! You can do co-op, versus, and individual runs online with friends in your lobby. This last part is honestly nuts. It’s such a good design choice. I originally thought the challenges mode would not be of any interest to me whatsoever, but after I found out I could do them online with friends, I was in there immediately and loving every second.
Although you cannot get in the same custom lobby as your friends who play through the Twitch App or through PS4, there is cross-play. Let me tell you, after hearing so many indie game developers tell me that “cross play is too big a task” for their competitive games (some didn’t even have a ranked queue, by the way. I’m looking at you, Laser League) it is so effing refreshing that Kabounce has cross-play capability. I can’t stress how critical it is for indie competitive games to have this feature.
But the game can’t be perfect right? So what are my complaints? Honestly, there’s only three, other than some pesky bugs. My complaints are: there’s no spectator, there’s only two abilities, and all games with queues need "audio while running in background". Let’s start with the first one. If you’re an indie game developer, and you want to make a competitive game, there are four things you need: A fun, skill-based game with depth (check), cross-play (check), (online) custom lobbies (check), and a spectator. Kabounce checks 3 out of 4, but it’s desperately missing this last one. If you want to generate a competitive and fun atmosphere you need spectators and commentary. Right now, Kabounce needs this more than anything else. The second is pretty short. Simply, the blink ability and shock ability are cool, but the game could use more. Finally, games with queues need the option to have the audio run in the background. I don't wanna sit and stare at the screen for queue, just because I won't hear it pop if I'm alt+tabbed. It's a nuisance, especially if it's an indie game and queues could be longish.
My other “issues” (if they can even be called that) with Kabounce really aren’t so much as complaints as they are… items on a wishlist. They’re not things I deem important to have, and also things I recognize are perhaps beyond the size of this development team, but could greatly increase enjoyment. They are: more creativity with custom lobbies (modify points, combo multipliers, etc.), add more servers so people can play with less ping, add arenas which are aesthetically more diverse, full-text chat (especially outside of matches), and a music player which we have more control over.
All things said, the game has great gameplay, runs well, sounds wonderful, looks nice, has cute customization options, and almost all is there that needs to be. Kabounce, perhaps more than any of these indie AFSG’s that I’ve played, is a game I really want to see stick around for the long haul. It absolutely deserves to be in your game library and be a game you boot up and play with friends. There’s many ways to play, and I’m sure you’ll have fun no matter which you choose.
8/10