Major sports games like Fifa, 2K and other related sports games tend to overshadow smaller lesser-known sport linked titles. Indie studio High Horse Entertainment developers of Disc jam, created a simple yet different type of sports game that is easy to master, competitive, and entertaining that anyone can enjoy on his or her free time along with online friends. This one shines through like a charm.
Storyline
There is no story in the Disc Jam itself. It is a straightforward game that grasps you to be competitive and earn points to try to unlock new items for style.
Gameplay
Gameplay is where Disc Jam shines brightest. The concept of the game comes from mixing elements of tennis and air hockey. Either side needs to make a goal on the opposite end to gain points. However, to fool your competitor you need to make trick shots using the walls of the court, curves, tricky tosses, and even power throws that are reminiscent to Super Mario Tennis. You have two options to play. You can play singles which is one versus one or doubles meaning two versus two; playing this mode changes the landscape because working as a team is essential to gain the upper hand on a court that is much bigger than a singles match.
More fun is going to happen by playing with two to four controllers on single console or online. When playing singles with friends laughs are inbound because of the constant competitiveness and funny animation of the characters flying like rag dolls as the discs explode after a goal. During a doubles match, it is much better to play with a friend because when knowing your partners play style allows for more trick shots to the opponent such as, faking throws and making passes that look like throws. There are multiple unlockables through an in-game slot machine. After every win points are gained to use in the slot machine to randomly get character skins, suit colors, taunts, emblems, and disc types. None of these do anything concerning upgrading your stats the only difference is that each character has a different slide animation, which is a bummer. The only flaw when it comes to playing the game is that trying to get in a doubles match on your own takes a long time and sometimes it is not possible to even connect to a server. That is why the game is enjoyed with friends online.
Graphics
The graphics on character models and the environment are very well done. Graphics are not the highlight of the game itself, but the graphics are above average. The Unreal Engine 4 powers the game. As seen in test runs that have been posted you see how beautiful games could be when using that engine by developing magnificent landscape and amazing character models which are on the Internet. However, as mentioned before this is not the highlight of Disc Jam its gameplay is. The problem is that one of the character skins has a very funky run that just does not look good while everyone else looks good. Another issue is that there is only one court to play in and that can get stale. A significant element is the old school rag doll effect. When scoring a point, the disc explodes, and they sometimes send the characters flying across the court like pinballs hitting the sides of the court.
Sound
The sound design in Disc Jam is simple but flawless. Every single action done is perfectly in sync and does not miss a beat. Exactly matching, throws, slides, hits, and scoring. There are only a few subtle voices when characters are hit or thrown and that they sound well and match the moment. However, music is very annoying because there are only three tracks in the entire game. There is one track being in the menu and title screen, the second during the first set of a match and the third being during the second round of the game.
Replayability
There is no real replayability concerning having to obtain new rewards that are worthwhile. Personally, there are few things I would like to get for my characters because they are very easy to achieve with every match won. What keeps bringing you back is the competitive nature of the game. You want to always win games with either online players or your friends. Reinforcing your skills is satisfying because the matches can become very intense in nature. A simple reason for returning is just having fun with a couple or a group of friends.
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Mario Bertrand
Mario's an individual who appreciates the craft of video games as a form of art. This art has become the catalyst of obtaining his dreams in music and video games. Being a nerd till the end of time, he will always expand his horizons by diving headfirst into new types of music, film, TV, anime, manga, and even comics. As long as its entertaining he'll take it, with a grain of salt of course.
