Deformers (PS4)

When second-hand games retailer GameStop launched their GameTrust publishing arm, one of their earlier titles was Deformers, a multiplayer brawler by Ready At Dawn, in 2017, which attracted me to it due to the premise and visual style despite not being much of a "multiplayer" person. I will admit I never got around to actually playing the game for some time, only deciding to give it a try when I finally had the opportunity to do so during the global 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. However, I only learned upon starting the game that the servers had been shut down a little over a year after the game’s launch, with some evidence that the game didn’t have much of a community in the first place. Fortunately, the game features Local options as well, and so I was able to check it out that way. After playing a few rounds with another person, I can see why the game might have quickly died out despite its potential.

In Deformers, players take control of squishy spheroid creatures called Forms, six of which are available to the player by default. The main goal is to rack up points within a time limit by throwing or ramming opposing Forms off the map or otherwise throwing objects and ramming until the opponent explodes, upon which players respawn for another shot at acquiring points. Ramming attacks can be blocked by turning into a cube for defense and grabs can be broken out of my mashing the face buttons on a controller, while jumping can potentially save you from being thrown off or otherwise allow you to traverse to different areas of a stage. Another option is to shoot the opponent with ammo known as gibs; players spawn with a certain amount, though more can be picked up by breaking open boxes that periodically drop into the map. Additionally, absorbing the remains of fallen Forms gives you some of your health back.

One other gameplay feature is power-ups, which also periodically spawn on the map. There are a multitude of different power-ups that can turn the tide of battle in your favor, such as Cloak (turning invisible), Magnet (which attracts gibs towards you) and Meteor (which fires a large projectile), among others. Before a match and between rounds, players can also choose one of five Classes for their Forms, each of which has their own specialty (ex. Marksman emphasizes shooting and features a rapid-fire option) to suit one’s playstyle or to adjust to the needs of the current match. A feature that’s easily overlooked is that clicking the right stick (R3 on PS4) brings up a quick chat wheel, which sends a quick message without disrupting the flow of gameplay (in theory).

Since Deformers is a multiplayer game, there are three different play modes to choose from. Two of them, Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, are about earning points as quickly as possible across three two-minute rounds, the latter with two teams of up to four as opposed to a free-for-all. The third, Form Ball, is more about playing a game of soccer in two three-minute rounds, also with two teams of up to four; think something like Rocket League, only with Forms instead of cars.

Matches can get very chaotic with enough players.

While the game tries to offer some variety, it can be very easy for someone to become complacent with their own style, especially when playing with only two people. For instance, I quickly found myself going for Marksman and my brother settled on Striker, which emphasizes ramming. Not helping is that Forms are purely cosmetic in nature, so I gravitated towards Chompsalot (a shark) while my brother went with Patty (a burger). We did try to spice things up a little by adding Dummies to substitute for another player(s), however we quickly discovered that Dummies don’t do anything, making earning points in a match far too easy.

There was a way to unlock more Forms by leveling up and earning Strands, along with other cosmetic items by earning Silver through online matches, however you can no longer do that as the servers are no longer active. This also means that the Platinum Trophy on PlayStation is now unobtainable due to at least two Trophies relying on online play. Online play also supported up to eight players, as evidenced by the way team matches worked, with the added bonus of cross-play between PC and PS4, however this experience is no longer an option.

One thing I will give the game credit for is the visual style, with the overall designs of the Forms giving the game some sense of charm and personality, along with the pre-round messages (ex. “You’ve made your choice, now live with it.”). This extends to the level design, which presents a lot of variety in their layout and allows for a multitude of different scenarios. However, while there are eight different Deathmatch arenas to choose from, there isn’t too much aesthetic variety, as three of them are circus-themed and two of them have a desert theme. Additionally, while Local play supports four-player split-screen, nothing is adjusted to compensate for a smaller screen real estate, even with only two players, forcing us to have to stand closer to the TV than usual in order to get a better view. It certainly doesn’t help that Trophy notifications can momentarily obscure roughly three-fourths of the screen for Player 1.

My overall opinion on Deformers is a bit mixed. I commend Ready At Dawn for going out of their way to give the game its own personality, however with the servers shut down there isn’t much to do outside of the Local features, and even then it can be very easy to get comfortable with a specific playstyle when you only have two players to work with. I can see this being a possible party game when quarantine finally lifts, though as it stands there isn’t much to get out of it on its own.