One of the stranger games I played at PAX Prime this year was IDARB. Not that I’m saying it was bad, far from it. Just peculiar. Developed by Other Ocean, it is a minimalist crowdsourced sports game. The goal is to get the ball into the net, but things get very complicated very quickly. For example, there is an online component I saw where people on Twitch could vote in random distractions mid-match. This voting process seems to be constantly in place, as the power of the Internet can vote in new features, teams and more. Speaking of teams, there are a ton of characters you can select.
When I demoed IDARB at PAX, I played as what looked like a Worm creature from the similarly named series, and would hop around impotently as I raced to get the ball. You can pass to your teammate (which in my case was unfortunately a 5 year old) and bash opponents with a sort of force field to take the ball away. That is the core premise. Everything else seems to vary depending on the whims of the Internet, much like gladiatorial arenas of old. Occasionally I would start a round on fire, or the ball would magically turn into an explosive. IDARB is that sort of weird, and it was pretty darn fun because of it.
What is even stranger about IDARB, given its minimalist style, is that it is only coming to Xbox One. I could easily see this sort of game on Nintendo or Sony, since Microsoft generally gives their love to the super realistic shooters of the world. Then again, even Nintendo strays off their course occasionally, and I can’t really fault Microsoft for trying something new. IDARB is exactly that, and looks to be a lot of fun. Take a view at the trailer and prove me wrong.
