Toasterball is a sports party game where you play as toasters. Launch toast and yourself against the ball and score! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn’t do well, and if it’s worth your time and money.
Toasterball Review Overview
Toasterball Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Diverse and Creative Game Modes Very Fun With Friends |
Not Much Diversity in Anything Else Gameplay Gets Stale After a While No Online Co-op |
Toasterball Overall - 66/100
Toasterball is an amusing sports party game that puts all its resources on gameplay for a variety of fun. With an already unique base game of toasters playing sports, adding over two dozen game modes exponentially raises the amount of fun you can have. Though the map and character variety only provide visual distinction, and the game only has one track, the creativity on display in the game’s different modes still makes Toasterball an enjoyable party game.
Toasterball Story - 6/10
Toasterball’s universe, where Toasters are treated as athletes, is fun and charming. There isn’t much to say, however, as it’s a casual party game where the story isn’t the spotlight. For what little worldbuilding it has with the flavor text descriptions for each Legendary Toaster Athlete, the effort is fun, cute, and appreciated.
Toasterball Gameplay - 7/10
The base gameplay mechanics of Toasterball are simple, unique, and amusing. At its base level, it lends itself to fun and hilarious moments. But, the main highlight of Toasterball are the different game modes that can be unlocked, which all twist the base game in many fun ways. Some add minor changes require unique strategies, while others add wacky gimmicks that plunge the game into complete chaos. However, some levels are unfair and random, where a round could end in under 10 seconds, or an obscure mechanic that cannot be influenced by the players.
Toasterball Visuals - 7/10
The graphics in Toasterball are what one would expect from a casual party game; not entirely breathtaking, but with cozy and charming stylizations that lend themselves to a fun, laid-back experience. The different costumes for the Toaster Athletes are quirky, and add a lot of personality to each character. There is nothing visually incredible within Toasterball and it seems comfortable with that.
Toasterball Audio - 5/10
Toasterball has great sound effects (SFX) for the toasters and goofy props that spawn from the game modes. However, the music sorely lacks variety. There is only one background track used in every map for every game mode. After a while, the music gets so tiresome to listen to that it would be better to mute it and play your own tracks.
Toasterball Value for Money - 8/10
For only $9.99, Toasterball sits at the perfect price for a fun, easygoing party game. With plenty of game modes to choose from, the replayability is quite endearing, especially with more people playing. With the very basic controls the game has however, playing for an extending period of time can fade away the novelty and fun. Only having two buttons required for gameplay leads to some bouts of boredom from the lack of more engaging action. It cannot be faulted too much however, as it IS just $9.99.
Toasterball Review: Toasted Just Right
Toasterball is a wonderfully imaginative party game where you control Toasters and launch toast at balls. Just the premise screams “a good time to be had,” and it absolutely is, whether solo or with friends.
I first played the game solo, where the AI was good enough to feel fun to play with and against. The AI had adjustable levels of difficulty, so you can bet I cranked it up to max immediately. At first, I couldn’t get a hang of the controls, and would just continually eject my half-baked toast into the sky. But as the rounds progressed (and some button mashing), I got the hang of it and could finally match the bots. However, it didn’t last, because I mistakenly had chosen a custom match where the game modes were still unlocked. I had been playing the base game all this time, and have yet to experience where the true fun lies.
I went into Classic mode, and all hell broke loose. Round after round, the levels would change and obstacles would spawn, causing so much chaos and panic for me trying to understand the different gimmicks being thrown in. There was a conveyor belt mode where I didn’t notice I was being pulled into a fire, and it destroyed my toaster. There was one where the ground was destructible, and it dropped me into a pit where I had to struggle to jump higher and reach the ball. Each round was a total mess, and it was fun.
Afterwards, I managed to rope a friend into playing with me, and let me tell you that things between us got HEATED, or rather TOASTED. Lots of trash-talking was made, lots of blaming were thrown, and lots of arguments ensued. We kept losing to max-bots, and my friend not knowing the controls at first did not help. A trial by fire I said, and boy it was. Things were absolute chaos, as toasters, toast, and balls were flung everywhere and anywhere. The panic of the ball nearing our goal while we can do nothing to save, and the relief as it bounces just a pixel against the wall and back into the other side, was quite the emotional journey.
To be able to reach that point of having such confusion and mayhem be so fun and entertaining is the goal of each party game, and being able to do it for solo players AND with friends is an achievement that should be praised. However, the more we played, the more we got accustomed to the mechanics and variants, and so eventually the chaos and novelty wore off, and we were just playing just to play.
Though Toasterball is still great fun, it’s an experience that should be kept short and sweet, as the most joyous experience is figuring things out and getting surprised by the variant game modes. The less you know of the game, the better.
Pros of Toasterball
| Things Toasterball Got Right |
|---|
|
Diverse and Creative Game Modes Very Fun With Friends |
Diverse and Creative Game Modes
Toasterball’s gameplay concept is rather unique and fun already in itself, where you control toasters and launch yourself and your toast to strike the ball. However, the inclusion of numerous other game modes that significantly alter the game is the cherry on top.
The ball could turn invisible and only appear when physically struck, leading to players having to guess or calculate the trajectory of the ball each time it becomes visible. Gravity could be momentarily turned off and all toasters on the field would have to swim and chase after the ball in midair. The entire scene could shift into a 2D space and turn into Pong! There is also a Portal reference, where blue and red portals periodically open up where toasters, toast, and the ball could fall into.
The vast inventiveness of creating unique and fun game modes lends Toasterball to being such great and chaotic fun, perfect for the casual party game genre.
Very Fun With Friends
Though this could be obvious, as it’s already a party game, Toasterball is much more fun playing with real players than the AI. Though the AI are no joke, with their customizable levels of difficulty, they still make mistakes here and there that enable you to blame the game for failing your team. With friends, the friction and banter derived from your teammate losing the game is the best time you could have. The friendly competitiveness combined with the trash-talking is a recipe for a chaotic disaster–all from playing as Toasters.
Cons of Toasterball
| Things Toasterball Can Improve |
|---|
|
Not Much Diversity in Anything Else Gameplay Gets Stale After a While No Online Co-op |
Not Much Diversity in Anything Else
Even though Toasterball includes two dozen unique and creative game modes, its diversity ends there. The various Legendary Toaster Athletes only serve as visual differences, and add nothing to the gameplay. The maps are merely scene changes and influence nothing on the gameplay.
Disappointingly, the different maps all share one music track and said track conflicts with their themes and locations. For the beach, one would expect a calming tropical tone, and yet it uses the same Rock song. For the jungle, one would expect something tense or wild, and yet again it plays the one Rock song. The inclusion of different maps is surface-level diversity at best and does nothing but change props and buildings.
One could surmise that perhaps the quantity of the game modes was already high enough, that it would not warrant for more outside factors, such as different toasters and maps, to further influence the gameplay. That is a very reasonable decision to make for the characters and maps, deciding to focus on making sure all players start out the same, and that their individual mechanical skills should decide the victor. But please, add some more music variety.
Gameplay Gets Stale After a While
Unfortunately, even with how much creativity is poured into the variant game modes, it runs into the problem of the base gameplay getting repetitive. There is definitely much fun to be had with the game, but after exhausting all variants, the core mechanic of merely pressing two buttons at different intervals can’t hold up for extended excitement and engagement. The quirky novelty of the game eventually wears off, and not just the bread, but the gameplay becomes stale.
No Online Co-op
It’s difficult to praise a multiplayer party game if it doesn’t have online multiplayer, and that’s a major problem with Toasterball. Just from one’s first impressions of the game, it seems made and developed for online play. Unfortunately, it is strictly local only, and the developers have provided no hints nor plans for online capability in the future. As much fun as Toasterball is, it’s difficult to actually share said fun with friends, as the modern era hinges on internet connectivity, games can easily be played online. Toasterball seems to be stuck in the past and decides to remain a couch co-op, hindering its success and potential to entertain.
Is Toasterball Worth It?
Yes! So Rev Up Those Toasters!
Toasterball is still worth it, only costing $9.99. With several varying game modes that enable so much fun, chaos, and replayability among friends playing, the price is pretty spot on. Be sure to play it for brief moments at a time however, as even with the varieties it has, the core gameplay that’s only done through two buttons gets old too quickly, which might negatively affect the playing experience.
Another thing to watch out for is that Toasterball has no online co-op, and therefore be sure to not accidentally purchase it in hopes of playing with friends through the internet.
There is nothing absolutely incredible nor groundbreaking in Toasterball that innovates the party game genre, as it perfectly does what it does. It provides cheap great pastime entertainment for friends through a goofy game about toasters being athletes playing ball.
Toasterball Overview & Premise
Toasterball is a physics-based party game, where all players are Toaster Athletes! Compete against each other in front of hundreds of adoring fans and strike the ball into the goal. Be careful, as the arenas change round after round, providing hazards and game-changing gimmicks that need the most skilled to surpass! Spring up, launch your toast, and dominate your friends in this fun local party game.
| Digital Storefronts | |
|---|---|
 Steam |
 Switch |
| $9.99 | |
Toasterball FAQ
What Are Toasterball’s Secret Codes?
There are secret codes that you can enter in Toasterball’s menu. They unlock secret toasters to play as. The codes are as follows:
● Puzonik
● Gilathiss
● Stumpt
How Many Game Modes Are There in Toasterball?
There are a total of 24 unique game modes in Toasterball, all of which add to or completely change the way the game plays.
Does Toasterball Have Online Multiplayer?
Toasterball only has local co-op and does not have any online multiplayer capabilities.
Game8 Reviews
Toasterball Product Information
 | |
| Title | TOASTERBALL |
|---|---|
| Release Date | May 3, 2023 (PC), November 30, 2023 (Switch) |
| Developer | Les Crafteurs |
| Publisher | Les Crafteurs |
| Supported Platforms | PC, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Sports, Party, Couch Co-op |
| Number of Players | Local Multiplayer (1-4) |
| ESRB Rating | ESRB E |
| Official Website | Toasterball Official Website |
