IDARB isn’t a traditional sports game, but who cares, as it’s incredibly fun. Even in a one-on-one situation, IDARB shines as a wacky and wonderful e-sport that provides glorious triumph, agonizing heartbreak and all sorts of laughs. With a plethora of crazy customization options and extensive social media integration, IDARB really seems to be something one of a kind.

The concept of IDARB (well, #IDARB is what it’s officially called) is that you are in a platform-filled 2D arena where you jump around and try and score a disc into a goal. You can play with teams of up to four players, so a full match could have eight players. You can even do one-sided affairs, such as with three people taking on one. The awesome thing about the game is its ridiculous pace and its tight controls. There is actually great depth here, from what I’ve played, and it allows you to bank and arc the scoring disc into the goal from all sorts of angles and distances.

With the controls being as simple as move, pass and shoot, it’s easy to get going quickly. The smart thing is that the shoot button also doubles as the hit/steal button, and there are all sorts of great battles and shot rejections that can take place. The trick becomes knowing when and where to take shots at the opponent’s net, as there are platforms and potential obstacles that can screw up your shot. There’s nothing more maddening than rushing a shot when you have lots of time and then hitting the rim. Still, IDARB is filled with those moments, and it makes for some wild momentum swings.

There are even three-point and five-point shot lines that you can shoot behind, and if you bank the shot in off an obstacle or the rim, it multiplies your score. This leads to hilarious prayer shots and last-second rejections that are tons of fun.

What adds to the nonsensical nature of the game is the crazy atmosphere (loud announcers, goal horns, crazy sounds) as well amusing post-game screens and half-time entertainment. While the game is broken up into four quarters, half-time features odd spins on Duck Hunt or a tug of war, and it has you laughing all the while. You can even customize your pixel art team by using the simplified color interface to make the team you want. Even better, theme music can be customized.

Probably the strangest aspect of the game is that it features a four-digit code for each match, and people can tweet or use Twitch chat to send “hashbombs” in order to mess up the game in certain ways. The ball can become a bomb, the lights can go off or the arena can flood, just to name a few. All of this blends seamlessly into Twitch streaming, which feeds into the e-sports nature of IDARB.

About the only criticism I could levy at present is that the online only supports two Xbox Ones at this point, meaning up to four players can be on a console and play against another console of four players. The developers have said that support for four consoles will be added, but that will be in a future update. The good thing is that even one-on-one play is totally enjoyable, with minimal lag and lots of fun to be had. Of course, if you have eight controllers, local co-op could be a blast for eight players. That said, I feel two versus two is probably the sweet spot for the game.

Outlook

My initial time with IDARB has produced some amazingly fun games, and there really is a lot of depth to be found in the gameplay. The retro style of the graphics and controls adds a lot of charm, but don’t be fooled, as the competitive nature of the game is at the forefront. The custom stuff and Twitch integration only adds to the insanity. I’m eager to play more. Check it out for free on Xbox One’s “games with gold” promotion for February.