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BeastieBall is an outstanding game, even in Early Access. I’ve been playing it for the past few weeks, and even though I didn’t beat it, I decided to write about my 10-hour experience so far.
Today, I’ll be highlighting 3 aspects of BeastieBall that I love:
- Battles
- Open-World
- Visuals and Art Style
What is BeastieBall?
BeastieBall is one of the most interesting approaches to the Monster Taming genre I’ve seen. While you can catch/recruit and fight with your Beasties, how you do it is something I’ve never experienced.
Every encounter being in the wild or against NPCs will take place on a court because Beasties have a natural knack for volleyball.
Battles
When a battle begins, one side will serve the ball, while the other will prepare to receive it. You play with 2 Beasties on the field at a given time, but you can swap with your bench while in defense mode.
When you get the ball, you’ll take damage, and if you get hit too hard, your Beastie gets knocked out and sent to the bench. But after a couple turns, it will regain its health.
But if you don’t get knocked out and receive the ball successfully, then you have several options to consider on the offense. You can perform up to 3 actions per play, and there are many combinations that give BeastieBall an absurd amount of depth.
You can perform a skill that will buff your damage when passing, move to another place on the field, and even heal your partner’s damage.
Even after 10 hours, I’m still enjoying this battle system because of how dynamic and flexible it is. However, you won’t be getting the same level of depth in every single match; actually, most wild battles end on the first serve.
But, League Battles will test your skills, even when you think you are too high-leveled.
Take on the League in Open World Fashion
One other trope, it borrows from a particular Monster Taming game, is the existence of Ranked Coaches. They each have their own BeastieBall Center scattered around the region, and you must travel to each and face them.
They all have quirky and distinct personalities, and I have loved them all so far! They were given a lot of care and blend perfectly with the narrative and flow of the game, even though they are just a stepping stone to improving our ranks.
And the best part? You can battle them in any order you want to. I’ve unlocked most of the map, and from what I can see, the game is mostly open-world.
Although the game literally tells you which Ranked Coaches you should be beating first, you can entirely ignore that part if you so wish. But be prepared to get wiped if you decide to go to face a High-Ranking coach!
Visuals and Art Style
The last thing I’d like to highlight in this BeastieBall Early Access Review is its visuals and style. They are exceptional and right up my alley. The vibrant colors and wacky character design remind me a lot of Scott Pilgrim, which I love!
Moreover, every Beastie design is amazing, but unfortunately not all of them are complete, and you’ll notice it when you see it. It takes a bit from the experience, but I feel it’s a good trade, since you can beat the entire game in exchange for this small setback.
Excited about the Future
Even in early access, BeastieBall offers a wonderful gameplay, with a dynamic and deep combat system, a vast open world to explore, and charming visuals that will leave you in awe.
From what I’ve seen, the game’s main story takes about 15–20 hours to complete, meaning I might be nearing the end. However, I know that there’s a good chunk of fun in the Post-Game, especially since it boasts online PVP.
Eventually, I’ll write my final review on BeastieBall, but for now, I can 100% recommend it, and things will need to take a bad turn to change my view.