Backyard Baseball (Game)

Backyard Baseball

GAME » on October 10, 1997

Humongous's first foray into sports games made for children, Backyard Baseball recreates the lighthearted nature of sandlot baseball with a silly cartoon style.

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Overview

Choose from 30 ragtag kids to be on your team!

Backyard Baseball is a comedic baseball game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment (Company) (later published by Infogrames) for Windows PC and Macintosh computers on October 10, 1997.

The first in the Junior Sports (later Backyard Sports) series of sports video games aimed at children, Backyard Baseball recreates the lighthearted style of sandlot baseball with a silly cartoon style, simplistic mouse-based controls (including a "T-ball mode" for even easier play), and a vast selection of kid players to choose from (each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and unique personalities).

Along with multiple sequels that focus on other sports (such as Backyard Soccer (Game), Backyard Football, Backyard Basketball (Game), and Backyard Hockey (Game)), each with the same cartoon style and simplistic controls, the game received multiple baseball-focused sequels, each of which feature licensing with Major League Baseball (Concept) and adds the league's teams and players (the latter of which are child caricatures). The PC version of the game was later re-released by Infogrames as a cereal box prize in specially-marked General Mills cereal (included as a bundle with Monopoly, Candy Land (Game), Scrabble, and Operation (Game)).

The game later received an enhanced modern digital re-release on October 10, 2024 as Backyard Baseball '97.

Gameplay

There are two main modes of play: pick up game an league play. Pick up game has the player picking kids against a computer and playing a game at one of the stadiums. League play has the player competing for the League Championship. Statistics are kept in categories like strike-outs, singles, doubles, hits, and homeruns for all teams in the league.

Characters

The game includes 30 kids to choose from, each with their own attributes, personalities, and sometimes eccentric behavior.

Although the kids are ranked 1-4 in four categories (batting, running, pitching, and fielding), they are sometimes better when paired with others (such as siblings) or have unusual advantages/disadvantages (such as taller players being better basemen due to better reach, or smaller players having a smaller batting window).

Jocinda "MVP" Smith - Confident and humble, Jocinda is one of the game's best power hitters and excels at fielding, despite her sluggish running speed.
Ronny "Spud" Dobbs - Sally's timid younger brother who, despite being prone to crying, is a decent pitcher and batter. However, he plays worse when paired with his sister.
Maria "Pinky" Luna - A happy-go-lucky girl with decent stats, which gets improved if she plays on a team with pink uniforms (as she loves the color).
Achmed "Axeman" Khan - Always rocking out with his headphones on, Achmed is a solid power-hitter and baserunner.
Tony "Vec" Delvecchio - An egotistical cool kid, despite his middling stats. He also has sibling rivalry with his sister Angela, and gains a stat boost when playing against her.
Dimitri "Paste" Petrovich - A stereotypical nerd who takes an intellectual approach to batting, despite not being good in defensive positions.
Gretchen "Jabberjaw" Hasselhoff - A hyperactive overtalker who, despite being speedy, is a poor outfielder due to her weak throwing arm.
Luanne "Lulu" Lui - The youngest player in the league, and one who carries her teddy bear as a lucky charm, Luanne is also one of the fastest baserunners in the league. However, her batting strength is weak, and despite being a good pitcher, she is a poor fielder.
Kimmy "Twinkle Toes" Eckman - A mild-power hitter and slow baserunner with a big sweet-tooth.
Ricky "Fella" Johnson - A very soft-spoken kid who's decent at baserunning and pitching.
Annie "Flipper" Frazier - A flighty free spirit who's decent at everything except pitching. She also likes animals, and plays better in teams named after them.
Mikey "Nugget" Thomas - Despite being one of the slowest runners in the league due to his cold, Mikey is one of the league's strongest power-hitters.
Lisa "Mad Dog" Crocket - Lisa is basically an adult in a kid's body. She's got a mean left curveball, but that's about it.
Amir "Sticks" Khan - Idolizes his older brother Achmed, and sees a sizable stat boost when playing on the same team as him. He often attempts to mimic his older brother's style, with mixed results.
Sally "The Boss" Dobbs - A bossy older kid whose decent at baserunning and fielding. She gains a stat boost when on the same team as her younger brother Ronny.
Pete "Wheelie" Wheeler - A simple-minded kid who, despite constantly looking in the wrong direction, is great at everything. He is also the fastest baserunner in the league.
Dante "Stretch" Robinson - A big eater who's a fast baserunner, despite having a very tricky swing (where he whirls like a top in the batter's box).
Vicki "Swan" Kawaguchi - Fancies herself a ballerina, as evident by her pink tutu and "graceful" one-handed swing. Her grace, however, makes her exceptional at baserunning and fielding, and great at pitching.
Reese "Big Toe" Worthington - An asthmatic pipsqueak and one of the smallest players in the league, with the smallest strike zone. He's decent at running and fielding.
Kenny "K-man" Kawaguchi - Despite being wheelchair-bound, Kenny is an exceptional pitcher and a fast baserunner.
Stephanie "Bubbles" Morgan - A baseball fanatic, despite having average stats.
Sidney "Little Smokey" Webber - Ashley's twin sister with a passion for tennis. She shares the same stats as her sister (with decent baserunning and pitching), and gains a stat boost if playing on the same team as her.
Ashley "Little Smokey" Webber - Sidney's twin sister, also with a passion for tennis. She shares the same stats as her sister (with decent baserunning and pitching), and gains a stat boost if playing on the same team as her.
Angela "Sugar Pop" Delvecchio - Despite her poor baserunning and fielding skills, Angela is one of the best pitchers in the league. She also has sibling rivalry with her brother Tony, and gains a stat boost when playing against him.
Marky "Cootie" Dubois - An easy-going redneck whose preference with going barefoot makes him a slow baserunner. He's decent at the game otherwise.
Pablo "Secret Weapon" Sanchez - Although he only speaks Spanish (or so it seems) and looks unassuming, Pablo does everything exceptionally well.
Billy Jean "Crazy Legs" Blackwood - A Southern belle who is also the tallest kid in the league, despite her middling stats.
Jorge "Bonkers" Garcia - A nerdy kid with middling stats, which is made worse when he plays outfield on a dirty field.
Ernie "Funnybones" Steele - Although he's not a great batter or baserunner, the silly and energetic Ernie excels at outfielding.
Kiesha "Flash" Phillips - A heavy-set outfielder who is one of the game's best power hitters, and is also a deceptively fast baserunner.

Through a hidden cheat code, players can add pitching robot Mr. Clanky to their team in Pick-up Game mode. Mr. Clanky is one of the best pitchers and batters in the game.

Development

Like Humongous's other games at the time, the game uses a later version of LucasArts's SCUMM (Concept) game engine.

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