We’re right in the midst of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, and so it makes sense that games would be coming out featuring the types of sporting events we’re seeing in the Olympics. I’m not that big into the Olympics myself, but I AM into fast-paced arcade-style mini-games based loosely on various athletic events. You know, button mashers like the old Track & Field games. Well all that and more is exactly what is on offer by BroxCorp and Netflix with their latest release Sports Sports.
The game features 12 different events covering most of what you’d expect from a game like this, including track and field, swimming, shooting, archery, and weightlifting, with more events planned to come in the future. Events are largely based around rapid-tapping and good timing, and I think Sports Sports does a good job in providing touchscreen mechanics that emulate whatever real life event you’re playing. A nice bonus is there’s no physical joysticks or buttons to break! (although you certainly will still get arm cramps).
The mini-games are fun, but it’s the progression system and the excellent production values that really stood out to me. There’s an overall experience and leveling system built in so that no matter what you do in the game you’re always earning a little more progress and this helps make each session feel worthwhile even if you totally flub an event. You can try out each event in the Quick Play mode as a one-off, or as a “playlist" of multiple events of your choosing strung together, and you can do this across any of the game’s 3 difficulty settings. This is a good place to practice and familiarize yourself with each event.
Beyond that is the Tournament Mode which is where the real meat and potatoes are. Here you can enter themed tournaments comprised of multiple of the same style events, like running or jumping. Or you can enter the Summer Games tournament which features a multiple cup progression culminating in a full-blown Olympics-style tournament. As mentioned, everything you do goes towards your overall progression system, so it always feels meaningful, and there’s even an online Multiplayer component and online leaderboards which I haven’t delved too much into yet but should add more spice if you’re competitive.
The one thing I will say is that Sports Sports is NO pushover. This game is hard as nails. Some of it feels very natural, like you can feel yourself improve as you practice and play more events and your techniques get better, making once difficult areas feel easier the more you play. But some parts I think are just plain imbalanced. If you’re familiar with the rubber-banding of the Mario Kart series, well, expect to see similar here. And sometimes an event just feels too tough to place decently in even if you’re positive you’re performing well and have a flawless run.
It can be frustrating, but it’s also not a dealbreaker, and it’s the type of thing that can be massaged out through updates. The core experience of Sports Sports is fantastic and I think it will only get better if new events and features are added down the line. The presentation in the game is so wonderful, with expressive characters and lots of fun little details. It feels like–dare I say–it could be a Nintendo game. I’m still blown away by how much I’m enjoying Sports Sports after going into it not expecting much, and if you have Netflix this will be a fun one to add to your device, especially with all the Olympics hullabaloo going on at the moment.
