Beastieball isn't that dissimilar to Pokémon, but instead of straight-up fighting opponents, you have to best them in a game of volleyball

GamesAdventureBeastieball isn’t that dissimilar to Pokémon, but instead of straight-up fighting opponents, you have to best them in a game of volleyballWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Klei Publishing)

My beasties and I alongside some other coaches

Before jumping intoBeastieball, I heard that it was a lot like the Pokémon games, with the addition of volleyball. But that idea was so weird to me that I had no idea what it would actually look like.

It’s nice that there are no immoral implications to owning beasties because they all do look adorable, and the world in which you find yourself is just as cute. It’s a pastel world full of autumnal colours, quaint villages, and boundless forests, the perfect place to play volleyball.

You get introduced to the rules of Beastieball pretty slowly. Before you’re unleashed onto the rest of the country, you compete in a small number of casual games either for fun or to research beastie abilities. The volleyball fights are 2v2 and turn-based. They feel very similar to Pokémon in that your beasties have and can learn different abilities that’ll help you beat your opponent at volleyball. Or just knock them out.

(Image credit: Klei Publishing)

Mid beastieball fight on the volleyball court

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

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These battles are quite fun, and I enjoy seeing my beasties level up and learn new helpful moves like Careful Shot, which lets your players perform cross-court hits, 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 a part of a Pokémon match with extra steps.

Other than gathering 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 need to gather a team together, represent your small village, and climb the national ranks 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 because you’re not really here to sink yourself into the narrative. You’re here to collect cool-looking beasties and improve your volleyball coaching through hard work and practice, even if it is a bit morally dubious at best.

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