Sports Story is a role-playing game with sports as its central theme. Aside from various athletic pursuits, it also includes non-sport activities like dungeon exploration and stealthy infiltrations, sneaking around enemy territory, fishing expeditions, golfing adventures in both ordinary and fantastical locations, enrolling for full-time study at renowned tennis academies, making friends or enemies while rising to sporting excellence and more!
Back in 2017, the Nintendo Switch library was much less crowded, allowing indie games such as Blossom Tales and Blaster Master Zero the chance to shine with their charming takes on the sports RPG genre. One of the early winners on eShop was Golf Story – an amusing take on retro golf that won over an audience thanks to its charming presentation and novel sports/RPG hybrid nature. Sports Story seeks to build upon that success with an expansive expansion to the gameplay loop,, including new sports like BMX biking, soccer, and tennis; unfortunately, this adds additional considerations that may lessen the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
Sports Story’s main game picks up where its predecessor left off, with the coach and friends embarking on a scenic voyage to an island filled with plenty of space to host sports academies and competitions. While initially planned as a golf-specific excursion, soon afterward, you find yourself immersed in various other sports and activities offered at different academies; most aren’t quite as enjoyable as golf in terms of precision, while some (like volleyball or bike riding) can even become downright frustrating due to their emphasis on movement rather than precision!
Sports Story often feels like an endless series of fetch quests for its various incompetent characters. From searching for fishing rods so an NPC can demonstrate their superior knowledge of sport to hunting down keychains to open gates – most fetch quests lack enough interesting banter or characters to make these tasks any more engaging than they have to be.
Sports Story 2 should have been more entertaining and engaging, with its novel approach to the sports/RPG genre offering much to those seeking something different from this series. All sports play well while its art style harks back to yesteryear; unfortunately, though, these positive features were somewhat overshadowed by an unnecessary expansion to the gameplay loop, a weak story, and numerous technical issues that hamper its playability.
Sports Story is a golf RPG developed by Sidebar Games with an unconventional flair. Reminiscent of Game Boy Color’s excellent Mario Golf while expanding gameplay to include BMX biking, soccer (not football!), and tennis, its quirky take on golf can’t quite reach the same heights, though, with convoluted quest structures, performance issues, and repetitive fetch quests holding it back from being as enjoyable.
Overall, the game is enjoyable to play. The golfing experience is superb and engaging, while its approachable three-click meter offers a satisfying way of progressing through eight courses and numerous minigames. And while 16-bit art might feel somewhat outdated, its environments are beautiful to look upon: dank caves, autumn-tinged forests or rainy marshes can all be explored beautifully with excellent graphics that do justice to their locale.
Non-sports-related activities in the game are just as diverse and thrilling. From exploring dungeons to sneaky infiltrations to fishing expeditions, there’s always something surprising happening – providing much-needed variation to the repetitiveness of traditional sporting events.
Sports Story still disappoints and unsatisfied players despite not experiencing technical problems, with its additions not playing very well and fetch quests becoming tedious, while its story is significantly less charming than that of its predecessor.
Sports Story is an enjoyable sequel, yet far removed from Golf Story’s unexpected highlight. It is worth exploring for fans of its genre but certainly not a must for gamers looking for their next major eShop hit; hopefully, the next installment from Sidebar Games will focus more on its strengths and fulfill its lofty ambitions, and perhaps then this series can earn its stripes; until then it should remain an option.
Sports Story is an RPG video game created and published by Sidebar Games exclusively for Nintendo’s Switch. It was released on 23rd December 2022.
Sports Story’s primary focus may be athletics, but this game offers non-sporting pursuits for added variety and excitement. Golfing trips in both ordinary and magical settings, enrolling at an elite tennis academy to study full-time, and forging relationships with both friends and foes alike. Dungeon exploration, stealthy infiltrations, and fishing expeditions also add an extra dimension of fun!
Sports Story is an admirable sequel to Golf Story’s success, but it does suffer from some similar shortcomings. While its writing and visuals are impressive, too much focus on fetch quests, unfocused narrative, and technical issues at launch prevent Sports Story from reaching its true potential. Still, fans of the genre should check it out; don’t expect it to top the charts!
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