Super Dodgeball Beats Review

Super Dodgeball Beats is a groovy little game brought to light by a little-known studio called FinalBoss Games and published by Playstack. It's available on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch respectively. As you might be able to workout from the title this game is themed around dodgeball a sport which over the years is gaining more and more popularity but the twist in this game is that it's gameplay is that of most rhythmic games out there. Super Dodgeball Beats has an anime art style and the variety of different characters in each team have that funny and bizarre look that you tend to find in most Japanese anime and manga.

When loading up Super Dodgeball Beats you are welcomed with some groovy retro dance music reminding me of being in an arcade as a kid in the 90's, there are game modes to choose from and an options screen with very basic control over music volume and sound effects volume. There are three main game modes to choose from a training mode where you can select which opponents to play against and what difficulty so as you can play at your leisure and get some practice in, there is a multiplayer mode where you can play against people online or two players on the same computer and lastly there is a Championship mode which is the bulk of the game, bringing with it a very casual story told by manga like storyboards with basic visuals to give you an idea of what is going on.

Before carrying on about my experiences with the game I would like to make you readers aware that these types of games are not my forte and they aren't the type of games I would go out and intentionally play but with that being said, let me tell you about my time with the game.

I reviewed Super Dodgeball Beats on an Xbox One X and jumped straight in on Championship mode, the first thing I noticed was the look of the game with its anime art style along with that retro dance style of music and this got the adrenaline pumping and was very aesthetically pleasing making it easy on the eye. The very start of the game introduces you to it's tutorial explaining the mechanics of the game and the controls, so basically you have your team of four misfits lined up on the right side of the pitch and as the music plays you have to hit the corresponding button that matches with the players position at the precise time the reticule around the base of the player closes in, they mix these up by adding different methods of pressing these buttons, such as a blue reticle means you have to hit the matching button and hold it down until a certain point to get a perfect...with these moves you need to chain them together building up a super move meter which once you fill you can use against your opponents to hinder them, be warned your opponents also have these abilities too. The team who has the ball on their side of a bar at the top of the screen is deemed the winner, Super Dodgeball Beats is very much a game about rhythm and hand eye coordination. So, with that quick run down of what the bulk of the gameplay is about let me tell you how I fared in the Amateur league (the first league of the Championship) its quite the underdog story... it was about half eleven at night and I was tired but as is my lifestyle my gaming time is late at night so I played my first match and I was awful, the music is fast, the mechanics are quick and due to the amount of colour on screen and the flashes and distractions I just could not hold my concentration... I got thrashed, on to the second game I went determined to do better... nope got thrashed again and again and again getting 'F' ratings after every game giving me flashbacks of when I was back in school!

After eight games I gave up, I was no good I thought, these aren't the games for me, so I went to bed. The next morning I woke early getting the chance the get some game time in before the kids got up for school, so I jumped on Super Dodgeball Beats, I had about five games left in the league to try and gain some self-respect and get off bottom spot so I played my first game and wow what was going on I was flawless winning with ease... played again and knocked out a win and again I won all my remaining games ending the season in the top 8 and through to the knockout stages, right I thought here is where I mess things up but no to cut things short I won all my games and won the title in the Amateur league. The main reason I told you readers that short story of my first experiences with the game is to make you aware that Super Dodgeball Beats is not a game to be played when tired, it demands your full awareness and concentration plus it requires you to have some skill and good hand eye coordination. The difference in my performances from when I played late at night and tired compared to the morning where I was well rested and fresh was unreal... it was like a completely different experience and I was able to see the charm and how people could find this game fun when I played refreshed.

To wrap things up for this review Super Dodgeball Beats is a fun game if you are into these types of rhythmic games and is easily a game you can entertain yourself with if you are looking to pass some free time, the game can be very frustrating at times and as I said it's not a game to play when feeling tired and jaded. For me due to the fact these games aren't my cup of tea I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it but certainly for its cheap price and entertainment if you are a fan of this genre of game and enjoy anime art style and retro dance music then Super Dodgeball Beats is perfect for you.