I absolutely loved Golf Story when it came out. “RPGifying” different game genres is something I’m generally quite good at, and maintaining systems, tracking gear and levels often adds to my immersion I think. Do you also enjoy a cute pixelated golf adventure with RPG mechanics? It was too good to be true.
In the end I didn’t like it that much though and after about 20 hours of gameplay I had to admit that it takes more to make an experience like this interesting.
And what has Sidebar Games Studio been up to since then? Well, they’ve upped the ante and grown the business, and now they bring us Sports Story, a gaming experience that keeps the same idea of ”arcade sports with an RPG twist” but with more gives Sport, which will hopefully ensure greater mechanical and structural versatility.
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And did they succeed? Well, maybe we should first welcome them to an island dedicated to sporting pursuits. Here your character from the previous game is on vacation with the coach and two colleagues, and there is no other motivation than to see what this “sports island” has to offer. Sidebar still manages to write excellent satirical dialogue, and on a more momentary level, there’s one sharp line after another, each with its own bizarre montage. The problem is that the game has so much gunpowder on its back that it never really leads to anything concrete. In the first 10 minutes of the game there are pirates, gang members, beekeepers and I’m coming for you. One idea hangs loosely on another without forming a coherent story.
There isn’t a single memorable character in Sports Story. You could argue that in an arcade sports game with an RPG structure, it doesn’t really matter that much, but this is an RPG, so some kind of narrative structure is essential. It’s particularly annoying because Sidebar is obviously very good at writing custom exchanges, ie why do they never yield anything?
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On the other hand, the whole title is full of charm. Compared to Golf Story, Sports Story has received a graphical overhaul, making the Earthbound-inspired aesthetic shine brighter and better than ever. Overall, it’s a game that sounds good and looks good.
As mentioned, there are more mechanics to play with this time. Not only is it now expanded to include various sports such as tennis and soccer, but there are also a variety of mini-games such as cycling with obstacles and even dungeons. The game loop is so packed that at times the game just barely catches its breath. As soon as you start they introduce you to volleyball but you barely get past a set before they kick you out – several hours, many hours before you play volleyball again.
There’s a kind of general map where you move between different small open worlds, but it doesn’t give the game the structure it needs. It often feels like wandering restlessly, sweating out in search of some more liquid, and adding, adding, and adding again makes Sports Story feel decidedly off balance on several occasions.
That’s not to say that the game doesn’t have charm, again, and works well in one-on-one situations. Playing golf is entertaining, so is playing tennis, but precisely because it is so wide-ranging, not everything is equally polished. The BMX minigame from before? Yeah, well, it’s not that much fun. Not all sports are created equal, no, but in general they all work. The problem is that because the game refuses to focus and streamline, there never seems to be any intentional progression between them where you grow, get better, and see where you’re coming from and where you’re going.
Sports Story isn’t bad, but it quickly makes the typical mistake of piling too much on a foundation that no longer holds. More sports and content give more flexibility and versatility, yes, but they also distract the game, and you, all the time and with no narrative breakpoints, it’s the definition of a mess. That’s not to say the game is decidedly broken, undemanding, or bad. Volleyball, tennis, golf, dialogue, graphics, soundtrack… all the shards are there. It’s just wrong… well, wrong.
