Toasterball Switch Review
Toast. A staple in many Australian households, more often than not, smeared with our national food of Vegemite while watching the Today Show, or Sunrise depending on which way you’re inclined. Australians love a good Vegemite on toast, and we also love sports. French developer Les Craftuers (or Lez Craftas in my native tongue), who rightfully claim that they are 4 unsupervised indie developers thought “What if we take competitive sports and mix it with… toasters?” The answer: You would get Toasterball. What’s Toasterball like? Grab your Vegemite, spread on some butter, and take a bite while we take a look at the most absurd concept of a game I’ve ever had to review.
Toasterball is a physics-based competitive toaster game that sees you face off as one of two teams, The Burners, or the Defrosters, in a toasty volleyball-style competition that sees you bounce a ball to break panels behind your opponents to ultimately score a goal. Initially, the game may seem shallow on the surface, but it becomes clear very quickly that the game has more depth than the layer of Nutella your kids spread on their toast when you left them unsupervised.
As you play along you start with your basic objective of scoring goals, but are quickly introduced to a lot of new modes and mechanics such as Basketball, Lava Pits, Random Tesla Rays, and even Toaster Pong. These modes change after every goal and keep everything fresh. Sometimes, you will find modes work better than others, and some combinations such as adding toast to your toaster during basketball, work better than others. I think one of the strengths of the game is that each round is generally over quickly, so even modes you don’t enjoy never outstay their welcome. There can be some frustrations, however, which are mainly due to the players actions such as a high frequency of self-scoring, bouncing the ball the wrong way, or tipping themselves over at crucial moments. These get better the more you play as you learn the intricacies of the game, so hang in there.
The art direction of Toasterball looks somewhat akin to Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, with a low poly style that runs smooth and looks decent. I can’t believe I’m saying this in a review but each toaster looks unique with its own qualities, and the environments and effects do a good job of immersing you in the fun. The game is full of quirky humor and each toaster has its bio, which is absolutely wild. I think it’s hilarious that the developers thought to put that in, as well as several props to give the toasters personality and… toaster lore? It’s also a laugh watching toasters flop around hopelessly trying to hit a ball when you first start. The more you play, the more you will become the master of Toasterball, executing high jumps, toaster flips, and precision projectile toast. It’s the mix of accessibility and depth that also contributes to Toasterball being fun to play, coupled with the ability to play solo or with 3 friends in local play.
The production quality of Toasterball is high, the menus are easy to navigate, customising matches is simple, and the loading screens and UI are slick. I didn’t encounter any bugs or glitches during my time both solo and multiplayer. For my vision-impaired Toaster Enthusiasts, there aren’t any accessibility options, but there are contrast differences between teams but sometimes the ball (especially when it’s a basketball) may blend with the environment when there’s lava.
For a reasonable price of $15, which subsequently is the price of a K-mart Toaster, there’s a lot of fun to be had with Toasterball. Solo players will enjoy unlocking new scenarios, party players will fall off the couch laughing. Unlike my basement bargain toaster that manages to either slightly warm my toast, or cremate it, Toasterball is an incredible fun game that’s almost toasted to perfection.
So, What’s it Like?
Toasterball is like Rocket League… with Toasters.