There's nothing quite like a monkey with a laser mounted to its jetpack fighting a ninja lizard, space sheriff, and robot Incredible Hulk. Awesomenauts is absurd and hilarious. For the most part, it's entertaining to play, too. It distills a complicated, largely PC-only genre down to its essence, and it does so mostly successfully. Awesomenauts is one of the first instances of a multiplayer online battle arena on consoles, and when it isn't stumbling over its own simplicity, it does a great job of bringing something exciting to a new audience.

Awesomenauts - Showcase: Sheriff Lonestar
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Don't forget to spend the money you earn. Your team relies on it.

Think of the MOBA genre like inverse tug-of-war two teams with distinct hero characters push against waves of human players and their AI companions; whichever group breaks through the other side first takes home the win. Turret placements block routes, summon spots spawn additional help, and hidden paths allow players to flank their foes. Awesomenauts builds a complex layer of strategy around a bare-bones 2D core, and this is where thoughtful players will discover smart tactics.

They're the folks who'll realize retreating is smarter than sacrifice, and that the on-the-fly character upgrades they'll earn because of it are more important than another kill. Staying alive means not contributing to the other team's resources, too, as you'll drop plenty of currency for them when killed. Letting them clean up and buy upgrade their dynamite, rocket, or knife abilities will end you.

Awesomenauts is a lot of work, and the more you put into each match the more you'll get out of it, both short- and long-term.

You can hide behind your robots to take on turrets.
This is the biggest issue with Awesomenauts. As you're starting out and discovering the strengths and weaknesses of each vastly different hero, higher-ranking players will slaughter you. Not because their level means they're stronger everyone starts out even and without upgrades but because the unlockable characters are considerably better than the limited starting selection.

They're more capable, have better weaponry, and are just more capable of killing your team. There's a stark, immediately noticeable imbalance that adds a stacked rock-paper-scissors sense to the roster.

I hated Awesomenauts for a few hours. The wacky Saturday morning cartoon theme, western music, and simple destructive gameplay was fun, sure, but the grind drove me mad. Eventually, I learned, adapted, and improved. Awesomenauts is unforgiving for newcomers, even though it's structurally simple, and the growing pains are awful if you're not enduring it with someone else.

Don't forget to spend the money you earn. Your team relies on it.
Even if you're a vetted MOBA nerd, this separate spin on the same idea makes you look at the genre in a new light -- dimmer, perhaps softer, rather than plugging in a new bulb altogether. That Awesomenauts is a multiplayer game first and foremost don't bother with bot matches alone means you're likely to play it in the company of others.

Without friends, the battlefield is lonely and frustrating, so make sure you're bringing friends in from the get-go. It turns an amusing game into a strong and strategic one.