Deformers
Deformers is a physics-driven competitive brawler where you control a squishy blob, select a role, and dive into short matches against up to seven other players, using rams, throws, and projectiles to knock rivals around in brightly colored arenas.
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Publisher: GameTrust Games Playerbase: Low Type: Competitive Online Brawler Release Date: April, 2017 Shut Down Date: August, 2018 Pros: +Charming art direction and playful character styling. +Plenty of cosmetic unlocks for customization. +Quick matches with snappy, energetic pacing. Cons: -Brawls can feel messy and hard to read. -Limited variety across modes. -The $29.99 entry price was a tough sell for a multiplayer-only focus. |
Deformers Overview
Deformers is an arena-focused online brawler from Ready At Dawn, a studio many players recognize from God of War: Ghost of Sparta and The Order: 1886. Instead of traditional fighters, you pilot a rubbery blob with a class-based kit, then jump into compact arenas designed for constant collisions, knockbacks, and opportunistic plays. The game leans heavily on physics, so positioning and timing matter as much as raw aggression, especially when the entire lobby converges on a single objective or a weakened target.
Each class pushes you toward a different style of mayhem. Some builds prioritize speed and disruptive hit-and-run bumps, others add ranged options to harass from a safer angle, and sturdier choices can stay in the middle of the scrum and survive long enough to set up throws and follow-ups. The most memorable moments often come from the interactions between these tools, for example, pinning an opponent near a hazard, scooping them up, and tossing them into the chaos before they can recover.
At launch, Deformers supported three primary modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Form Ball, a sport-like mode that borrows the broad feel of Rocket League’s core idea while keeping Deformers’ bouncy, body-checking combat. Progression is largely cosmetic, with matches awarding currency that you spend on outfits and novelty looks, letting you turn your blob into all kinds of silly themes without affecting gameplay balance. There is also support for playing online or locally, which is useful if you want the same slapstick physics without relying entirely on matchmaking.
Deformers Key Features:
- Fast-paced gameplay – rounds are brief and action-dense, emphasizing quick decisions, rams, and well-timed throws.
- Varied classes – pick from six roles, ranging from nimble options to tougher builds, plus classes with ranged pressure.
- Three modes – jump into Deathmatch, Team Deatmatch, or Form Ball, a ball-focused mode with a familiar arcade-sports vibe.
- Cosmetics – unlock a large selection of visual changes, including food and animal-inspired looks that keep matches lighthearted.
- Play Online or Offline – compete against players online or run matches offline with others in the same room.
Deformers Screenshots
Deformers Featured Video
Deformers Review
Deformers aims for a specific kind of multiplayer fun: short, punchy rounds where physics and momentum create constant openings for reversals. When it clicks, it feels like a toybox brawler, with everyone bouncing, colliding, and improvising as the arena shifts from controlled skirmish to full pile-up in seconds. The downside is that the same systems that create highlight moments can also make outcomes feel noisy, especially for newer players trying to parse what is happening in a crowded fight.
Moment-to-moment combat is built around contact. You are not just trading hits, you are managing space, angles, and speed so your bumps send opponents into bad positions, while you avoid being scooped up and thrown yourself. Ranged tools and class abilities add texture, but the game’s identity remains in the slapstick physicality, the sense that a single well-placed shove can turn a close match into a runaway swing. This gives Deformers an accessible surface layer, but it also means matches can sometimes devolve into group chaos where individual decision-making is harder to feel.
The class lineup does a lot of the heavy lifting for variety. Faster classes can dart in for quick disruption, while more durable ones can anchor brawls and survive long enough to make their presence matter. That said, the limited number of modes puts pressure on the core loop to stay fresh, and the overall package can start to feel repetitive once you have seen the same objective patterns and arena flow many times. Form Ball is the best change of pace, since it forces teams to think about spacing and ball control rather than pure elimination, but it still inherits the same readability issues when everyone collapses on the play.
Progression is mostly about expression. Cosmetics are plentiful and intentionally goofy, which fits the tone and gives players something to chase without creating power gaps. If you enjoy collecting visual unlocks and showing off oddball designs, Deformers delivers. If you prefer deeper long-term progression systems, there is less here beyond improving your personal skill and learning class matchups.
It is also hard to ignore the business context. As a multiplayer-first title with a $29.99 price point, Deformers needed a healthy population to keep matchmaking fast and varied. With a low playerbase, the best version of the game, lively lobbies across all modes, became harder to consistently access. Given that the game shut down in August 2018, Deformers is best remembered as an inventive physics brawler with a strong sense of personality, but one that struggled to sustain momentum over time.
Deformers Links
Deformers Official Website
Deformers Official Twitter
Deformers Steam Store
Deformers Developer’s Website
Deformers Developer’s Twitter
Deformers System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows 7, 8, or 10—64-bit only
CPU: 2.4 GHz Quad Core
Video Card: nVidia GeForce GT 470
RAM: 8 GB
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows 7, 8, or 10—64-bit only
CPU: 2.8 GHz Quad Core
Video Card: nVidia GeForce GT 970 4 GB VRAM
RAM: 16 GB
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB
Deformers Music & Soundtrack
Deformers’ audio direction matches its toy-like presentation, favoring punchy effects that sell impacts, slides, and collisions. In a game where so much feedback comes from physics, clear sound cues help you understand when you have landed a meaningful hit, secured a grab, or taken a heavy knockback. The soundtrack and overall mix aim to keep energy high without overpowering the moment-to-moment readability, although the real stars are the exaggerated bounces and thuds that make each arena scuffle feel physical.
Deformers Additional Information
Developer(s): Ready At Dawn
Publisher(s): GameTrust Games, Ready At Dawn
Game engine: In-house engine
Open Beta 1 Date: April 1, 2017
Open Beta 2 Date: April 7, 2017
Steam Release Date: April 2017 (estimated)
PlayStation 4 Release Date: TBA
Xbox One Release Date: TBA
Shut Down Date: August, 2018
Development History / Background:
Ready At Dawn built Deformers as a class-based competitive brawler, drawing on the studio’s experience from projects like God of War: Ghost of Sparta and The Order: 1886. It runs on an in-house engine related to the technology used for The Order: 1886, with the underlying engine work dating back to 2009. The game was revealed on June 2, 2016, alongside the announcement that it would be published by GameStop’s publishing label, GameTrust Games.
In early 2017, the team confirmed an Open Beta on Steam and communicated that the beta would be hosted across multiple weekends ahead of release. The first Open Beta weekend started on April 1, 2017, followed by a second that began on April 7, 2017. Around that period, the game was expected to arrive in April 2017.