Humble Games, alongside Annapurna Intreactive and Team17, are becoming an indie powerhouse that you can rely on for imaginative, vibrant and deep games. We’ve had The Wild at Heart, Carto, Ikenfell and Supraland over the past twelve months, and they’ve all lit up the black box in some way. ‘Imaginative, vibrant and deep’ are all keywords that apply to Dodgeball Academia.
Hear the title ‘Dodgeball Academia’ and you’ve probably got a certain game in mind: a multiplayer free-for-all party game that you’ll pick up and play after a few bevvies. But that would be far too conventional for Humble Games and developer Pocket Trap, who have turned dodgeball into a real-time RPG with a school-based drama in between the matches. Because of course.
You play Otto, a freshman at Dodgeball Academia, and he’s got ambition. He wants to be the best dodgeballer this side of Patches O’Houlihan. His journey takes place over eight episodes, as he forges relationships in a school-based RPG, levelling up and improving his skills, before taking those skills into dodgeball training and matches. There’s a mystical backdrop to all of this, as Academia houses a powerful dodgeball that powers it, a relic from the Dodgeball Wars, and nefarious dodgeballers are after it.
You get to improve and customise your team of ‘ballers, much like you would a squad in a Final Fantasy. Then you take them into battles that are real-time, as you dodge incoming dodgeballs, with a mix of JRPG-style abilities on cooldown. These are overblown and awesome, as you level the field with a meteor shower, plus much more. Part of Dodgeball Academia’s appeal is how overblown and super saiyan it all goes.
While Dodgeball Academia’s joys mostly come from a deep, story-driven campaign, there’s also the ability to duke it out in a competitive local mode. So, if you’ve thought a friend would look better with a giant orange ball in their face, look no further.
Key features include:
- Explore and uncover the secrets of the Dodgeball Academia across its vast, diverse, and full of life campus
- Journey through a full-blown RPG story mode; complete with episodes, main quests, side quests, and school minigames
- Unlock and upgrade unique characters, diversifying your dodgeball team through an RPG style character and party progression
- Engage in action-packed dodgeball matches featuring a unique fighting game style that will put you up against challenging enemies and bosses
- Duke it out with a friend locally in a competitive local versus mode
Dodgeball Academia is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and starts at £20.99 from the Xbox Store. It’s also available through the brilliant Xbox Game Pass and out on PS4, PS5, Switch and PC.
Game Description:
In a world where dodgeball is life, you join Otto at the academy and train to become the ultimate dodgeball champion. Across eight episodes, you’ll forge friendships and create rivals, all in the name of developing the best dodgeball team. Level up Otto and develop a dynamic team across a vast and customizable party progression system. All the while, explore the vast Dodgeball Academia and uncover the long hidden truths that reside within the very walls you live, learn, and dominate in.
