Don’t dodge “Dodge That Anvil!”

Cartoon characters throughout history have cowered, bewildered, in the face of anvils dropping randomly from the sky. Now, you can experience the confusing concussions yourself in Rabidlab’s new indie title, “Dodge That Anvil!”

The rabbits of Eastwarren are having their agriculture hassled by an anvil storm, and you’re the one bunny brave enough to keep your society fed. This task boils down to running around a field, pulling carrots from the ground and dodging periodically falling objects. It’s simple gameplay, but various items and environmental obstacles make it complex enough to hold your interest.

The game’s rendered in cartoony 3D, and the art, music, and sound effects are crisp and classy. If I had to describe its visual style, I’d compare it to the “Paper Mario” series. The sound and physics of the falling anvils is spot-on, too, and the little birdies around your character’s head when he gets hit are a nice touch.

The game’s available for $19.99, but there’s a free download with the option to pay to unlock the rest of the game. In fact, I’m writing this review without having played the paid content. Why? Well, despite the entertainment I got out of the demo, there just wasn’t enough there to make me want to buy it.

The problem for me was that the game’s pretty simple. You’ve got root vegetables, falling anvils, platform puzzles, and the occasional powerup. The basic challenge of the game is avoiding the anvils; they “lead” your movements, anticipating where you’ll be when the anvil lands, so you need to move erratically. Once you get the hang of that down, though, there’s not much else to do. Oh, sure, there are bonus challenges, and the preview screenshots show a few added features in the full game (bosses, bigger veggies, and different environments), but I’m not confident that it will be worth the twenty bucks.

It’s a fun game, though. I would recommend you download the demo and check it out, and if you like it, pick it up. It’s not quite my thing, but the graphics and gameplay are polished and smooth. I’ll be watching Rabidlab to see what else they come up with. They have definite potential. Check them out at http://www.rabidlab.com.