Review: King Oddball – Xbox One

King Oddball on Xbox One is a great time-filler, and it’s packed with playable levels.
Game – King Oddball
Platform – Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Steam
Developer/Publisher – 10Tons Ltd
Release date – September 7th, 2016
Price – $2.99
King Oddball has been around the block a few times, and this time it winds up on the Xbox One. I don’t know how or why, but a giant floating head winds up trying to take over the planet. He has a rock helmet. Or maybe it’s a hollowed out volleyball a la At World’s End. What he’s wearing doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is his ridiculously long tongue that he uses to hurl projectiles at his enemies. He won’t stop until you lead him to world domination. That’s as far as the story goes. The rest of this title is hours and hours of rock chucking through trial and error.
Everything about King Oddball is simple. If it’s good or bad, it’s little more than simple, and it makes for a mindless, time-filling experience. The gameplay is physics based, and it’s very much the token ‘Angry Birds’ experience. The object is to eliminate all the enemies in the stage with variations along the way. For example, try to beat certain levels with only a single rock shot. Defeat enemies with trick shots, grenades, and seashells. It’s all simple and repetitious. It’s the type of gameplay that will repel you if you don’t love perfecting and experimenting puzzle solving elements.
The score for King Oddball is one of its shining highlights: the eccentric track gives the perfect oddball feel to the game. The rest of the title falls into place. You’re immediately dropped into a grainy world that feels wholly unusual. Immediately, you swing rocks at tanks and soldiers with your tongue. Hit a 3+ kill combo and earn an extra projectile. Somehow bounce a rock back into your head and earn another projectile. Eventually, pinpoint precision is required to make it through each stage. King Oddball has some issues with its physics that have been fixed and tweaked since its PS4 release. There is more consistency in the angles of trajectory. The rest is relatively the same (in case you own a previous version). The secret mustache world is still just as fun to find and play. King Oddball has hundreds of stages to play. It can be infuriating at times, but it’s usually because you’re trying to force an inappropriate solution.
King Oddball is a moderately priced arcade title that’s a great mindless time-filler. The title doesn’t specifically benefit from its port to the Xbox One, but it’s a welcome addition. Achievement hunters and OCD puzzle solvers will welcome King Oddball with open arms.
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