Super Volley Blast
by Josh Eppolito
Super Volley Blast by Unfinished Pixel, $9.99 on Steam and Nintendo Switch, ESRB Rating E for Everyone, release date: 7/12/2018
Volleyball is one of the fastest paced sports, but why do so many game developers struggle to master the sport in a video game? Super Volley Blast not only nails the way the sport of volleyball is played, but it also adds a fun and unique arcade style to it.
As someone who plays volleyball I am always looking for a good volleyball game to play. I’ve played every Volleyball game out there from web games to apps to all of the ones on Steam as well as on the Switch and I can confidently say Super Volley Blast is the most fun and polished one.
Super Volley Blast (SVB) perfects the party game feel where you can play with up to four people at a time with game changing additions. Playing in tournaments is a fun game mode since you’re able to set the rules to whatever you’d like. For instance you may change the score you have to reach in order to win or add in any of the power ups to alter the way Volleyball is played. These additions range from playing volleyball with a ticking time bomb so you have to get it over as quick as possible before it explodes or playing with a chicken and when you hit the chicken you don’t know where it’ll go.
Those are just a few, but the power ups are only additions and personally I don’t use nor recommend using them unless you want a crazy experience that will get boring after a while.
The core gameplay of SVB is perfect, it’s fast paced just like really volleyball, but at the same time not impossible to play. The controls are simple enough for any one of any age to pick up and play.
Although the game is one of the best volleyball video games made, it has a lot of flaws to it. The character customization is not the best and you are limited to what you can make. For instance all of the clothes are plain and simple and there isn’t a variety to the body parts that you can change.
The game doesn’t have a solid campaign, there is currently a campaign, but it’s only seven games and isn’t fun since the “story” if you want to call it that, is bland. This might not be a problem for most people since most of their joy from the game might be from the party aspect by playing with friends, and yes I agree that’s where most of the fun is, but I also love the sport and want to play 24/7 and the campaign doesn’t do it for me.
That being said I still love the game and I play it all the time either with friends or by myself and I enjoy every second of it. But I don’t think people who aren’t volleyball fanatics will enjoy it for as long as I am because of some stale features in the game.
Rating
Gameplay: 8/10
Difficultly: 4/10
Creativity: 5/10
