There’s a really popular kids’ show that I like called Bluey.  The show is made in Australia and is set there, and in one of the newer episodes, the characters play a game of Cricket.  It’s a really good episode, but a lot of it went over my head because living in the US myself, Cricket just isn’t as popular of a sport.  We’re all about our football over here, and not the soccer kind.  So when I had the opportunity to review Cricket Through the Ages on Switch, I thought it might give me a good chance to learn more about the sport, especially since the game looked pretty whimsical, too.  And it certainly is, but did I really learn anything about Cricket from this game?  Well you’ll have to read on to find out!

The game is rag-doll physics based, meaning that your characters flop all over the screen and while it’s very humorous, nothing is very accurate.  So if you wanted a more accurate way to play Cricket, you won’t find it here.  The game only uses one button.  You press down on the shoulder button to swing your arm around and around.  You’ll do this to knock back balls if you have a bat, and if you have a ball, you’ll swing it around and must release it at the right time to throw.  Also, tapping on the button will usually make you walk (or stumble) forward.  And that’s pretty much it, but there are many variations to this model in the many game modes.  You unlock game modes after you beat the last one.  Most of the time you just have to play through, but sometimes you must win a few rounds.  Modes can be played in one or two player.  Let’s go over the modes now.

Cricket Through the Ages

I would consider this to be the tutorial mode, as you just go through different time periods doing whatever task they prompt you to do.  Just gives you a chance to learn the quirky controls through a time travelling narrative.

Ash’s World Cup

This one lets you play a more traditional game of Cricket, or at least the game’s oversimplified version of it.  You must win against four teams but the amount of points needed to win is random every time.  Whether you win or lose, at the end of the match you can pick an upgrade that’ll give you a different bat or ball to use.

England Premium League

This mode is a lot like the last one, but instead of throwing a ball, you are using a soccer ball and throw it with your feet somehow.

Royal Badminton

The game claims each mode is a historical event in Cricket history, but I doubt that to be true.  In this one they said the Queen claimed Cricket to be too dangerous, so they put little parachutes on the balls and here you play badminton instead.

World War

This mode is totally different.  You pick a country and must tap your soldiers forward with the shoulder button, and throw and release grenades by holding down and releasing the button.  Your goal is to make it across the field and to the other side while plowing through the enemy soldiers.

Quantum Cricket

This one pretty much takes the randomness from the last few modes and combines them together.

The Games of Olympus

Here you’ll play Olympic style sporting events using the controls from before.  Some games work well this way, but others don’t.  Either way you’ll unlock the last mode if you finish it, win or lose.

Ultra Cricket

And finally, this last mode takes EVERYTHING from the other modes and mixes them all up for you to play a long 42 point double round of Cricket.  I didn’t play through all this one because there was nothing to unlock after that.

So did I learn anything about Cricket from playing this game?  Well not really.  I learned that each side has a pile of sticks called a Wicket, and if you hit the opposing one with your ball three times, you’ll get a chance to bat, where you can really earn more points.  And you earn points by hitting the other players’ Wicket, hitting the ball out of the screen, or doing other things like hitting random flying ducks.  The game is just very random and silly and just for laughs.  I wouldn’t say it’s either good or bad, just weird.  But I did play it all the way through, so I must’ve been entertained at least somewhat.

Kid Factor:

Cricket Through the Ages is rated E-10 with ESRB descriptors of Fantasy Violence and Mild Blood.  I didn’t really notice any blood, but in some of the game modes, you can chop off people’s heads and limbs.  But since everyone just looks like a paper doll puppet, that negates a lot of the violence.  It’s really more silly than anything.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, but not necessary just to play.  Younger gamers might need help winning some of the matches, though.

Tags: Game Reviews