Cricket Through the Ages was provided by Devolver Digital for review. Thank you!
At first, when I saw Cricket Through the Ages, I was a bit confused. Cricket Through the Ages was released on mobile devices a couple of years ago, and now it is getting ported over to PC. Generally, I tend to avoid these types of games since I feel mobile games excel on a device like that for a reason. And, while I can see why this game was perfect for the phone, it is also an excellent party game that I had way more fun in than I expected.
There isn't a ton of depth to Cricket Through the Ages, but that's part of the charm. It's a 1v1 match where you either throw a ball or try to hit it. If you knock the other person out or knock the sticks behind, you get points. And once you get enough points, you will win. That's the description of the generic Cricket mode, but there's so much more. Using these same mechanics, you can participate in a multitude of scenarios, including the Olympics, play Soccer, travel through time, sip tea, gain momentum in a war, and more. And you only need to press one button to play, so it's quite easy to learn.
It was a perfect party game, and I enjoyed it way more than I expected. I played both alone and with my wife, and it was such a blast. Everything is physics-driven, so you will ragdoll, balls will fly, you will fly in the air, swing your sword like a maniac, and all of it is a hoot. I also really enjoyed the humor of each scenario, which retells the "accurate" history of Cricket. There are no save slots, no progression, this is just a party game meant to have some fun with friends and family. And it is amazing on the Steam Deck.
As a game initially developed as a mobile game, it is no surprise to see Cricket Through the Ages running flawlessly on the Steam Deck. Without any changes, the game runs flawlessly at 60 or 90 FPS with the battery drain under 8W.
With Cricket Through the Ages being such a small game, it makes sense that there aren't any options. You can turn sound off and change language, but that's about it.
The game does support 16:10 aspect ratios, and it does have controller support too, but there's no cloud saves. But, for this type of game, cloud saves aren't really necessary. There are no HDR options.
Cricket Through the Ages doesn't try to be anything it isn't. It doesn't have tons of content, quests, progression, or even saved profiles. This is a party game that is meant to just be a party game, and it succeeds in being one worth your time. I had a blast playing it, especially on the Steam Deck, and if you plug this into your TV and attach a second controller, this will be the life of the party. And with no changes needed to play perfectly, this is an easy Best on Deck game. Don't skip over this one if you are looking for a ridiculous 1v1 game that will keep you coming back for just 1 more round with your friends.
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Cricket Through the Ages is a great party game and one worth your time, and it will perform flawlessly on the Steam Deck.
