Title: Stikbold: A Dodgeball Adventure
Platform: PS4 (reviewed on)/Xbox One/PC
Developer: Game Swing
Publisher: Curve Digital
Release date: Out now.
Price: £7.99/$9.99/€9.99
TL;DR: There’s nothing not to love.
Family Focus: Click here for more information.

It’s rare that I run into a game that’s a pleasure from start to finish. Stikbold is one of these rare gems where it’s truly fun with no strings attached – simple to play, fun and well put together plot, and just enough zany humour to appeal to the adults as well. It’s not just a game for children – Stikbold can appeal to anyone, of any age, and this is one I’d like to platinum.

The gameplay, unusually, only uses two buttons on the controller: L2 and R2. One button to throw the ball, and the other to tackle your opponent with. No messing around with the other buttons to try and work out the ridiculous combos, just chuck the ball at the opposing team and hope you don’t get hit instead. You control either Bjorn or Jerome (usually the former, but you’ll pick up Jerome if Bjorn gets knocked out) and have to work together to take out the various obstacles. That’s the core of the gameplay – the two guys get thrown into various wacky adventures and have to take out a team of lifeguards, a whale, Satan, and occasionally another rival dodgeball team. Though some levels have extra things to avoid, like a guitar bouncing across the screen or a tidal wave sweeping across the map, your main goal is to knock the other team out.

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To do this, you need to score two strikes on the opposing team in a row. One hit will render them dizzy, and a second will knock them out of the match. There are ways to get stinger hits or use curve balls, but given the frantic nature of the matches, I found it harder to use these and instead relied on pelting everything in sight. This isn’t as clear cut as it initially appears thanks to all the aforementioned obstacles, and the enemy AI is no slouch, either. They’re crafty, quick, and absolutely merciless. Your team mate’s AI, on the other hand, isn’t so great. Half the time, he’ll just be standing around when he doesn’t have the ball, forcing the player to do the majority of the work. When he does have the ball, he passes it over instead of shooting when he has the chance.

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The visuals for this game are something all of their own. Stikbold has shunned both notions of traditional pixel art and hyper-realism, and instead opted for a fun, blocky art style that conveys the tone of the game perfectly.

The premise of this game is a 70s-esque buddy comedy, where two bros set off to save their lady love from the wrath of Satan, using the power of dodge ball. It’s not meant to be some uber-serious commentary on the world of sport – it’s just a fun ride, and the bright colours and exaggerated facial expressions are the way to do it. Plus, they’ve done a really neat thing when it comes to the voice acting by going the Simlish route. As Stikbold is made by Danish developers, instead of choosing to isolate one group or another by dubbing it in one language – or opting for no VAing at all – it’s instead vaguely discernible gibberish that nonetheless still lets you follow the story. It’s a great way round the language barrier, and it’s another point for the list of things in Stikbold’s favour.

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In short, Stikbold is massively enjoyable. It’s cute, it’s quirky, and is just all round fun. It hasn’t set out to be an epic; instead, it’s set out to be a short burst of dodge ball madness that’s fun for the whole family, and with individual trophies and new characters to unlock for each level, there’s tons of replayability. Want to play as Coach? Or Satan? Or perhaps those hippies who were hoarding “honey” in their van? Beat the level, and now you can! The trophies are a little harder, but there’s no point in having them if there isn’t a challenge.

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In summary:

The Good

  • A genuinely fun and innovative game.
  • Witty plot and writing.
  • Varied levels with uncluttered gameplay.

The Bad

  • Team mate AI isn’t great.
  • Boss fights can get frustrating when you have to restart a ten minute encounter from scratch, especially when they’re somewhat difficult.
  • Local, yet no online multiplayer.

Family Focus

Stikbold has one mild swear word (“damn,” during the final boss fight) but everything else is absolutely fine for all ages.