Dodgeball Academia
By Jeff Haynes,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Sports tale knocks out competition in fun school adventure.
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What’s It About?
DODGEBALL ACADEMIA is a role-playing game set in a world where dodgeball isn't simply a game – it's a sport and way of life that oversees everything. Players take on the role of Otto, a young boy that dreams of being the best dodgeball player alive. To make his dreams come true, he leaves his school and enrolls in Dodgeball Academy, where he can hone his skills and unlock the potential trapped inside of him. Fortunately for him, his arrival is perfectly timed, because he shows up to get entered into the yearly Dodgeball tournament. As a result, Otto will need to build a team from the student body over the course of eight episodes, practice against other squads and develop new skills to take on the best the school has to offer. Players will be able to catch thrown balls and toss or charge up throws to cause additional damage to opponents. By filling up a power meter, they can also unleash an ultimate attack to eliminate the other team, as well as elemental effects like ice, fire, and electricity to cause status effects. But there's more than just facing off against other players on the court, because Otto will find himself exploring the campus grounds, completing side quests, interacting with teachers and faculty, and uncovering plenty of secrets about the students and the school. Can Otto fulfill his dreams and dominate the sport of Dodgeball?
Is It Any Good?
This role-playing game (RPG) develops quirky characters and fast-paced action of dodgeball into an entertaining adventure. Like other RPGs, Dodgeball Academia brings a group of kids together and pits them against opponents to see who the best party might be. Except instead of bloodshed, you're gaining experience, pocket change, and bragging rights over your fellow students. As you progress through the eight episodes of the game, you'll defeat countless players that stand in your way, eventually turning some of your rivals into teammates and earning their respect (as well as their special abilities) which you can use to defeat even harder teams. Plus, you're building up new powerful throws, adding elemental attacks, purchasing new gear and food to make your team stronger, and boosting your ultimate attacks to secure your victory on the court. What's also nice to see is a team of misfits come together and become a formidable force, led by a kid who's genuinely a nice individual that only wants to prove that he's a skilled dodgeballer. The game also packs a nice amount of humor, and it's nice to see an RPG that's not solely focused on a fantasy adventure or futuristic setting to entertain players.
There are some issues that takes a bit of air out of the balls being thrown. For one thing, while this is a unique adventure, it's very short -- you can beat it in about 15 hours, so it really flies by. It's fine that it's short, but it would be awesome to have a longer experience in this dodgeball centered world (fingers crossed for a possible sequel). A larger issue are the spikes in difficulty, which pop up unexpectedly, such as back to back fights without a chance to heal your team, environmental hazards that imbalance your play, or teams that give you a surprising challenge. This may cause you to restart a match multiple times until you figure out how to overcome the obstacle in your way. These issues aside, Dodgeball Academia is a fun and unique twist to the RPG formula that sports fans and RPG fans will enjoy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about friendship, teamwork, and competition. Is it possible to be competitive with everyone you meet, but still be seen as a friendly and welcoming person, like Otto in Dodgeball Academia? Is there a way to take his approach to competition or making friends and apply it in real life?
Does the impact of the violence in Dodgeball Academia seem intensified because of the elemental effects launched at your opponents? Would the impact be lessened if you didn't have superpowered attacks? Does it matter since the point of Dodgeball is to hit opponents with balls as hard as possible?
Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 , Windows , Xbox One
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Humble Games
- Release date: August 5, 2021
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts
- ESRB rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence
- Last updated: August 5, 2021
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