IDARB
{{Short description|2015 video game}}
{{Correct title|title=#IDARB|reason=hash}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = IDARB
| image = IDARB-key-art.jpg
| developer = Other Ocean Interactive
| publisher = Other Ocean Interactive
| engine =
| platforms = {{ubl|Windows|Xbox One}}
| released = {{ubl|Xbox One
January 30, 2015|Windows
February 25, 2016}}
| genre = {{hlist|Platformer|sports game}}
| series =
| modes =
| director = Mike Mika
| producer =
| designer = Mike Mika
| programmer =
| artist =
| writer =
| composer =
}}
#IDARB ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|aɪ|d|ɑːr|b}} {{respell|EYE|darb}}; an abbreviation of "It Draws a Red Box"{{Cite web |date=2014-09-09 |title=A Good Game for Griefing |url=https://kotaku.com/a-good-game-for-griefing-1632044235 |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Kotaku |language=en |archive-date=March 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318160850/https://kotaku.com/a-good-game-for-griefing-1632044235 |url-status=live }}) is a 2015 2D multiplayer sports video game developed and published by Other Ocean Interactive originally for Microsoft's Xbox One. In the game's main mode, up to eight players, a maximum of four on each team, attempt to run and jump across platforms to shoot a ball into the other team's goal. Extra points can be gained for scoring from a distance or bouncing the ball off platforms. Various visual and gameplay effects known as hashbombs could be triggered with Twitter posts or Twitch chat messages.
The game originated with a tweet made by lead developer Mike Mika in January 2014. Mika asked his followers where to take his new concept, a simple image of a red box standing among platforms. Ideas quickly flooded in, and Mika experimented with many of them, leading to the suggestions becoming unified under the hashtag #IDARB, which later became the game's title. A week after the initial tweet, fellow game designer Brandon Sheffield suggested Mika add a ball; development progressed quickly afterwards, and the game was released exclusively by Microsoft for its Xbox One console under its ID@Xbox initiative in 2015.
The game was praised for its originality, its rapid gameplay, especially with many players, and the means through which it brought many Twitter users together to collectively develop a video game. However, the online multiplayer was criticized for its poor latency and matchmaking.
Gameplay
A 2D multiplayer sports platformer party game, #IDARB sees teams of up to four box-shaped players attempt to shoot a ball into the opponent's goal over the course of four rounds, with each game lasting approximately ten minutes.{{Cite web |last=McElroy |first=Griffin |date=2015-02-02 |title=IDARB review: come on and slam |url=https://www.polygon.com/2015/2/2/7964455/idarb-review-xbox-one |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209114341/https://www.polygon.com/2015/2/2/7964455/idarb-review-xbox-one |archive-date=December 9, 2015 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Dyer |first=Mitch |date=2015-01-14 |title=#IDARB Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/14/idarb-review |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=IGN |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Starkey |first=Daniel |date=2015-01-27 |title=#IDARB review |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/idarb-review |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Eurogamer.net |language=en |archive-date=March 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318024659/https://www.eurogamer.net/idarb-review |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Faulkner |first=Jason |title=Review: #IDARB |url=https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-idarb/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Destructoid |language=en-US}} In online multiplayer, a player could only play against as many other players as they had on the same console; for example, a team of two could only play against another team of two. A single-player campaign is also available; its end credits ask players to tweet positive opinions about the game. During a match, a close-ranged shot is worth one point; ones from farther away are worth two, three, or five points, depending on their distance.{{Cite web |title=#IDARB Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/idarb-review/1900-6416024/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}} Bonus points may also be earned for bouncing the ball off a platform; three bounces would grant a player a 3x-scoring multiplier. After a goal is scored, an announcer comments various comedic lines, referencing various pieces of often-obscure pop culture, such as the 1985 film Fletch.
The map is the same during every match, with many platforms to jump on in the middle, pits to fall down in the bottom, and an arena in the center where the ball respawns after a team scores. A common theme of smaller matches is to lead the opponent down the wrong path of platforms, providing the player with an opportunity to run for the ball and quickly score. Possession of the ball may be dislodged through a "burst of energy", which sends the ball flying through the arena. This same burst of energy may also block the trajectory of the ball or another player. With two or more players on each team, players also have the option to pass the ball to a teammate; passing the ball uses the same button as shooting it. After two rounds, it is "halftime" and each team plays a minigame; these are spoofs of popular titles such as Flappy Bird and Duck Hunt.{{Cite web |last=Dollison |first=Jonathan |date=2015-01-30 |title=#IDARB is now available on Xbox One and is free for Gold subscribers |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/idarb-now-available-xbox-one-and-free-gold-members |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Windows Central |language=en |archive-date=March 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318155843/https://www.windowscentral.com/idarb-now-available-xbox-one-and-free-gold-members |url-status=live }} When a match ends, players will be prompted to spin their controller's right thumbstick; whoever does this the fastest will be crowned MVP of the match.
The game's online multiplayer featured integration with Twitter. By tweeting a post that tagged the game's account, @idarbwire, along with the game's room code and an assigned hashtag, various effects known as hashbombs were triggered; for example, the hashtag #light would darken the entire screen except for the ball. These effects could also be achieved when streaming on Twitch through messages in the chat. The Twitch integration also allowed players to gamble on the outcome of live matches, or AI-controlled ones, though the latter still allowed the use of hashbombs in the chat.
Aside from the main mode, there is a wide variety of side content. The game features a custom sprite creator, which lets players design their own playable characters; these may then be shared through QR codes. There are also many packs of pre-designed characters featuring crossovers such as Halo and The Walking Dead. Other features include a music creator and logo designer which lets groups of players develop their own logo and theme song which would be displayed upon entry to a match. "Over a dozen" real-world recipes were also contributed by developers in the video game industry for foods such as teriyaki chicken.{{Cite web |last=Dollison |first=Jonathan |date=2018-11-21 |title=#IDARB for Xbox One developer exposes the game's crazy origins in our exclusive interview |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/interview-creator-idarb-xbox-one |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Windows Central |language=en |archive-date=December 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212084809/https://www.windowscentral.com/interview-creator-idarb-xbox-one |url-status=live }}
Development
Development of #IDARB began on January 3, 2014, when game developer Mike Mika of Other Ocean Interactive suggested in a tweet that he wanted to develop a game "entirely with friends" on Twitter or Facebook, which could be "fun or totally awful".{{Cite magazine |last=Moore |first=Bo |title=How a Tweet Turned Into the Best New Multiplayer Game in Years |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/01/how-twitter-built-a-game-idarb/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=March 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318153835/https://www.wired.com/2015/01/how-twitter-built-a-game-idarb/ |url-status=live }} Mika had always started the games he made with his friends by drawing a box, asking his friends what he should make with it and going from there, so he decided to repeat this, because he had not had the chance to do so in a while. However, this time he asked his Twitter followers for help.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.ign.com/videos/the-amazing-inside-story-of-idarb-ign-plays |title=The Amazing Inside Story of #IDARB - IGN Plays - IGN |date=2015-03-31 |language=en |access-date=2025-03-18 |via=www.ign.com}}{{Cite web |last=Fanelli |first=Jason |date=2015-02-11 |title=#IDARB Review |url=https://arcadesushi.com/idarb-review-xbox-one/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Arcade Sushi |language=en |archive-date=August 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807084557/https://arcadesushi.com/idarb-review-xbox-one/ |url-status=live }} Later that day Mika posted a tweet containing an image of a red box standing among white and gray platforms. He asked his followers, "Where to go with this? I've started a new project, it draws a red box. Thinking platformer. #helpmedev".{{Cite web |last=Mika |first=Mike |date=January 3, 2014 |title=Where to go with this? I've started a new project, it draws a red box. Thinking platformer. #helpmedev |url=https://x.com/MikeJMika/status/419239296726347776 |website=Twitter |access-date=March 18, 2025 |archive-date=March 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318153835/https://x.com/MikeJMika/status/419239296726347776 |url-status=live }} Ideas quickly poured in, such as adding a morality system and making the box a movie renter; Mika initially engaged with these suggestions just for fun.{{Cite web |last=Dollison |first=Jonathan |date=2015-01-26 |title=Out This Week on Xbox One: Dying Light, #IDARB, and more! |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/out-week-xbox-one-dying-light-idarb |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Windows Central |language=en |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617113236/https://www.windowscentral.com/out-week-xbox-one-dying-light-idarb |url-status=live }} The latter idea was adopted the same day; in a new tweet Mika indicated he had added collision and gravity to the game. Mika played with various ideas loosely, including a group of soda cans which navigated around the world with their fizz, sharing his progress on Vine and repeated tweets. However, he could not settle on a solid unifying idea or ultimate goal until January 10, when video game designer Brandon Sheffield suggested that Mika add a ball, which players would carry and strive to score in a goal, but that they could also steal from each other. Mika responded, "I LOVE THIS IDEA. Gonna run with this."{{Cite magazine |last=Hilliard |first=Kyle |date=January 30, 2015 |title=#IDARB Review |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/games/idarb/b/xboxone/archive/2015/01/30/idarb-it-draws-a-red-box-game-informer-review.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240802151149/https://www.gameinformer.com/games/idarb/b/xboxone/archive/2015/01/30/idarb-it-draws-a-red-box-game-informer-review.aspx |archive-date=August 2, 2024 |magazine=Game Informer}} Development of the game was built around these Twitter suggestions, unified under the hashtag #IDARB, for It Draws a Red Box.{{Cite web |last=Callaham |first=John |date=2015-01-28 |title=#IDARB, Brothers and Sniper Elite V2 for Xbox will be free to download in February |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/idarb-brothers-and-sniper-elite-v2-xbox-will-be-free-download-february |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Windows Central |language=en |archive-date=November 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241102233415/https://www.windowscentral.com/idarb-brothers-and-sniper-elite-v2-xbox-will-be-free-download-february |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Ahern |first=Colm |date=2021-03-25 |title=Have You Played... #IDARB? |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/have-you-played-idarb |access-date=2025-03-18 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |language=en |archive-date=January 25, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125003554/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/have-you-played-idarb |url-status=live }}
Development progressed quickly afterwards, with Mika and the Other Ocean team taking care to focus on sports mechanics, though they still constantly implemented ideas from Mika's Twitter followers. As the game grew, Chris Charla, Mika's friend and the head of Microsoft's ID@Xbox initiative, asked if #IDARB could be ported to the Xbox One. According to Mika, Charla may also have been the first person to use the #IDARB name. Two months later, the game was showcased at the 2014 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco; Microsoft focused on the game's ability to support eight players, as Sony's PlayStation could only support four at one time.{{Cite web |last=Matulef |first=Jeffrey |date=2014-12-11 |title=Xbox One-exclusive multiplayer esports darling #IDARB will launch in February |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/xbox-one-exclusive-multiplayer-esports-darling-idarb-will-launch-in-february |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Eurogamer.net |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Dollison |first=Jonathan |date=2015-03-05 |title=GDC 2015: The Windows 10 and Xbox One event in-depth |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/gdc-2015-windows-10xbox-one-event-depth |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Windows Central |language=en |archive-date=March 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318155843/https://www.windowscentral.com/gdc-2015-windows-10xbox-one-event-depth |url-status=live }} At one point, cheers from the #IDARB booth drowned out a nearby presentation. Mika said that people were "blown away by how stupid it was". Eurogamer considered this version one of the "stand-out games" of the first 25 ID@Xbox games.{{Cite web |last=Matulef |first=Jeffrey |date=2014-04-02 |title=Top dog or underdog? Microsoft's new indie initiative |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/top-dog-or-underdog-microsofts-new-indie-initiative |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Eurogamer.net |language=en |archive-date=January 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250118005322/https://www.eurogamer.net/top-dog-or-underdog-microsofts-new-indie-initiative |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Watts |first=Steve |date=2014-03-18 |title=GDC: Microsoft Reveals First 25 ID@Xbox Games |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/18/gdc-microsoft-reveals-first-25-idxbox-games |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=December 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213202614/https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/18/gdc-microsoft-reveals-first-25-idxbox-games |url-status=live }} This version of #IDARB was built in less than eight weeks.
Later that year Twitch Plays Pokemon peaked in popularity, inspiring Mika to include a live element, which later became hashbombs. After this the components that were most difficult for Mika to complete were the AI and the online multiplayer; the game's AI was designed to simply head toward the ball if it did not already have it. Online multiplayer used a "couch vs. couch" system to ensure that a group of players could only play against a group with the same number of players, drawing on Other Ocean's experience porting fighting games such as Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection to the Xbox Live platform.
The game initially released exclusively for the Xbox One in January 2015, but in March, Microsoft announced that #IDARB would later be available on Windows 10, featuring crossplay with the Xbox One version.{{Cite news |last=Fenlon |first=Wes |date=2015-03-04 |title=#IDARB coming to Windows 10 with console crossplay |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/idarb-coming-to-windows-10-with-console-crossplay/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |work=PC Gamer |language=en}} The game eventually released on Windows on February 25, 2016.{{Cite web |last=Callaham |first=John |date=2016-02-25 |title=#IDARB launches for Windows 10 with cross-platform multiplayer with Xbox One version [Update] |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/idarb-launches-windows-10-cross-platform-multiplayer-xbox-one-version |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Windows Central |language=en |archive-date=September 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911141202/https://www.windowscentral.com/idarb-launches-windows-10-cross-platform-multiplayer-xbox-one-version |url-status=live }} Upon release, the game was also available as a free download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers.{{Cite web |title=Xbox One's Chaotic Sports Game #IDARB Could Come to PS4 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-s-chaotic-sports-game-idarb-could-come-to/1100-6425881/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US |archive-date=March 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318160744/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-s-chaotic-sports-game-idarb-could-come-to/1100-6425881/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Sirani |first=Jordan |date=2015-01-30 |title=#IDARB Releases Early; Free for Gold Subscribers |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/30/idarb-releases-early-free-for-gold-subscribers |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108135229/https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/30/idarb-releases-early-free-for-gold-subscribers |url-status=live }}
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| Edge = 6/10Edge, Issue #278, page 122, April 2015
}}
During #IDARB{{'s}} previews and releases, many reviewers struggled to describe the game; an official press release at an event to promote ID@Xbox in San Francisco in 2015 described it as "a chaotic 8-player eSport jumping jetpack future arena ball game that is as inspired by Bomberman and Smash Bros. as it is by cans of soda, paint-by-numbers books, and driving five miles faster than the speed limit".{{Cite web |date=2014-03-28 |title=Eight Indie Games Coming To Xbox One That I'm Excited About |url=https://kotaku.com/happiness-is-being-in-a-room-full-of-unfinished-xbox-on-1553862258 |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Kotaku |language=en}} This carried over to reviews; IGN{{'s}} Mitch Dyer described it as "part combo-based arcade game, part hockey, part basketball, and part Super Smash Bros." and Eurogamer{{'s}} Daniel Starkey noted that the game was "welding the anarchy of Smash Bros., NES-era platforming, and Twitter hashtags into a curious pastiche ... an absolute farce". This chaos was often praised by reviewers; however, it was also noted as often too much, especially when three or four players were on each team. Polygon{{'s}} Griffin McElroy called any more than two players per team "a bit inscrutable" with a four vs. four match being "batshit crazy". In this mode they further stated that "just finding your own character will occupy most of your mental faculties". On the other hand, IGN felt that "with less than four players, IDARB sparks, but never quite catches fire". Review aggregator website Metacritic averaged review scores to a 77, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
The speed, chaotic nature, and easy-to-learn yet hard to master nature of the gameplay earned frequent praise. GameSpot{{'s}} Tyler Hicks stated that the game "stands as proof that all it takes to make a fantastic game, even with today's available technology, is a solid set of core gameplay mechanics with inherent depth," also praising the varied nature of the scoring system. Game Informer{{'s}} Kyle Hilliard felt that the high skill ceiling meant the game had potential "to become an intricate competitive game with skill-dependent tactics". Wired noted that players love #IDARB because "it's so damn easy to pick up" and that matches ensure that "everyone—players and spectators alike—has fun". IGN enjoyed the "hysterical screaming" each match conveyed with each player constantly scrambling to reach the ball. The mesh of ideas generated by the game's crowdsourced development was a similar target of praise. However, Eurogamer felt that the game did not trust players to find their own fun, noting that #IDARB "can be a lot more fun to watch than it is to play". Noting the game's frequent randomness and means of development, Edge called the game "raucous yet ridiculous, funny yet infuriating". The crowdsourced nature of the game's development also earned praise; however, Wired noted that "crowdsourcing may not, and perhaps should not, replace conventional development methods," considering that Other Ocean already had years of experience in developing games, and concluding that "ideas are only as good as the execution".
However, the game's online multiplayer was criticized heavily. Latency issues were common; IGN noted that they "made each match a crap-shoot in performance" and Destructoid's Jason Faulkner noted "a ton of stuttering", though other reviewers such as Polygon called the latency "a minor issue". In either case the latency was noted for slowing down the gameplay, reducing the game's otherwise precise nature. The nature of the online matchmaking was also criticized; a person could only play with as many people as were on their console. IGN considered this to have "neutered" the online gameplay, and Game Informer could not recommend the game to those uninterested in playing with others. Similar issues were faced with the local multiplayer. When there were an odd number of players, there was no way to even out the teams with an AI teammate, which IGN thought "led to one unhappy team every time".
Mika himself was happy with the game's success, however. In an interview with Windows Central, when asked about what he was most proud of with #IDARB, Mika responded: "That something I got to make and play with all my friends turned out so damn fun."