Cricket League is a pared back, multiplayer game of cricket that folds some modern mobile ideas into its inner workings. It’s fast-paced, fun and, when things click and you find the right opponent, skirts pretty darn close to thrilling. Each …
Cricket League is a pared back, multiplayer game of cricket that folds some modern mobile ideas into its inner workings. It’s fast-paced, fun and, when things click and you find the right opponent, skirts pretty darn close to thrilling.
Each player gets one over, or six balls, of bowling and batting. You need to score as many runs as possible, or keep your opponent from scoring. If you lose a wicket, it’s the end of your innings. Games usually last a handful of minutes, and the player with the highest score at the end is the winner.
When you’re batting you drag back to aim and power up your shot. There’s a slider along the bottom of the screen that lets you position your batter as well, and you can see roughly where the ball is going to pitch. A diagram in the top left of the screen shows you where the fielders are.
Bowling is slightly different. You move a reticle around the pitch to decide where you’re going to bounce the ball, then stop a bar to choose how fast the ball is going to be bowled. Or, if you’re using a spinner, how much spin you’re going to put on the delivery.
There’s an interesting game of cat and mouse with every ball, with both players moving around to try and fool the other. You don’t just want to bowl as fast as possible, either, because a slower ball can ruin a batter’s timing.
When you win a game you’ll get some coins, as well as a card pack. These contain coins and new cards. Those cards are either new players or duplicates you can use to upgrade the team you’ve already got. There are special balls you can use as well.
The whole thing rushes past pretty quickly, but it’s exciting enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, especially when a match comes down to the last ball. Getting a wicket when you’ve got a low score will elicit many a fist-clench as well.
Cricket League manages to capture the thrill of the shorter forms of the game, while still rolling in enough tactics to keep you engaged. If you’re a fan of cricket then you’re going to absolutely love it.
Click here to read more reviews of the biggest new mobile gaming releases
