Beastieball is not that dissimilar to Pokemon, but instead of fighting opponents head-on, you have to best a game of volleyball

Before jumping in Beastie BallI heard it was a lot like the Pokemon games, with the addition of volleyball. But that thought was so strange to me that I had no idea what it would actually look like.

I thought I was going to be joined by some animals in a game of volleyball, but I soon found out that I wasn’t going to play at all. Instead, I would coach a team full of beasts to victory. This tore me up because not only was I looking forward to taking center stage on the lane, but I also felt bad for my beastie players, who were forced to compete for my advantage. Especially since if they were hit hard enough by the ball it could knock them out.

Thankfully, the game excuses this forced labor pretty quickly by simply saying, “It’s okay. The beasts love it!” The beasts themselves did not confirm this. Regardless, I continued to collect beasts for my team without guilt.

It’s nice that there are no immoral consequences to owning besties because they all look adorable, and the world you’re in is just as cute. It is a pastel world full of autumn colors, picturesque villages and boundless forests, the perfect place to play volleyball.

You are introduced to the rules of Beastieball rather slowly. Before being released into the rest of the country, you compete in a small number of daily games, either for fun or to research beasties abilities. The volleyball battles are 2v2 and turn-based. They feel very similar to Pokemon in that your beasts have and can learn different abilities that help you beat your opponent at volleyball. Or just knock them out.

Mid beastieball fight on the volleyball court

(Image credit: Klei Publishing)

For example, my Kichik (who is also my number one player) has abilities like Basic Hit which can do 38-92 damage depending on opponents and where they are standing on the volleyball court, and Quick Breath, which can restore 30 health mid-match.

When your bestie first receives the ball from your opponent, you must volley it to your partner before making a proper hit. You have up to three times per turn where you can either volley, attack or heal yourself, and it’s best to make the most of these. You can then win points by either dealing enough damage to an opponent to knock them out or managing to hit the volleyball into an empty square where your opponent cannot save it, which is how you traditionally win in volleyball.

These battles are pretty fun, and I enjoy watching my besties level up and learn new useful moves like Careful Shot, which allows your players to hit across the board, or Call Out, which is used to help your teammate defend against an incoming shot. But even so, it’s pretty hard to shake the feeling that you’re just part of a Pokémon match with extra steps.

Aside from assembling a team of what are essentially wild animals to play volleyball for you, the story in Beastieball is pretty straightforward. You are a young aspiring Beastieball coach, and in order to save your local wildlife sanctuary, you must assemble a team, represent your small village, and climb the national rankings all the way to the top. In short, you want to be the very best, like no one was before.

It’s not entirely original, but it gets a pass for not really being here to sink into the story. You’re here to collect cool animals and improve your volleyball practice through hard work and practice, even if it’s a little morally dubious at best.

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Beastieball is not that dissimilar to Pokemon, but instead of fighting opponents head-on, you have to best a game of volleyball

Kaneb

Kaneb

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