Beastieball gives Pokémon an Into the Breach-style sports twist, and I can't get enough of it
Volley good.
After the gentle ramblings of Wandersong and the contemplative care package that was Chicory: A Colorful Tale, one of the last things I expected developer Greg Lobanov to make next was a Pokémon-style sports tactics game. But here we are regardless, and cor, I think Beastieball might be what I've been looking for in a Poké-like ever since my love for Pokémon proper began to wane around the Black and White era. I've dipped my toes back into the Poké pool more recently, of course, but I don't think my love for it now will ever be as strong again as it was back when I was a rabid 10-year-old playing Red and Yellow on my Game Boy. Partly because I'm a recovering Pokédex completionist and I just can't put myself in that kind of position again, but mostly because the innovations Pokémon's tried to introduce in more recent entries have all fallen a little flat for me.
It's a feeling that's pushed me into trying other Poké-likes over the years. Your Cassette Beasts, Coromons and TemTems and the like. But Beastieball - even in its current early access form - already feels like the pick of the bunch. And it's all thanks to its 2x2 volleyball pitches.
The setup of Beastieball is winningly familiar to classic Pokémon. You, a small-town Beastieball liker, must set off on a quest to become to number one Beastieball coach so you can gain enough fame and influence to save your home's Beastie reserve from being bulldozed for a honking great stadium. You must travel from town to town beating other coaches in their definitely-not-gym-style arenas, engaging in good-natured games with other, err, not-trainers along the way and growing your team with newer, more powerful Beasties as you go. Not by catching them, you understand, but by recruiting them and offering them 'jerseys' for your team, which you can only do once you've researched their recruitment condition - deal over 100 damage in a single shot, say, or buff a stat twice in one match - and performed that condition in battle to sufficiently impress them.
It's a great sports-y twist on the whole endeavour, and this extends to the three core types of Beastie, too - you've got your Body-focused ones who like to hit the ball, for example, while others are Mind-focused and better at performing volleys. The third prong to this triangle is your Spirit-focused Beastie, who 'likes to power up' with stat-boosting buffs (the names for which are also quietly very good as well, with sweaty, shocked, stunned, tough and tired in the mix to name just a few). Your Beastie's attack and defence stats all correlate to this trio of Mind, Body and Spirit, too, though currently it's a little bit harder to work out which Beasties fit into what category based on their looks alone. This can lead to some surprise thrashings every now and again, but the good news is you don't lose cash or progress if you suffer a defeat - you can simply try again when you're ready. Which is pretty nice!
The best bit about Beastieball, though, is the matches themselves, which all take place on volleyball courts that seemingly spring up from the ground as soon as you bump into a wild Beastie. It's kinda daft, but I do also kinda love it. Each side of the net is split into a 2x2 grid, into which you can field two Beasties while the rest of your team hugs the backline, ready to be tagged in whenever they're needed. Teams take turns to attack and defend, the former phase giving you three actions to play out, but just one during the latter. And goodness me, you better make that defensive move count, because if your Beastie gets 'wiped' by the incoming attack, the other team score a point, and if you leave a column or row open and that's where the ball lands? The other team also score. And it's quite possibly the most thrilling tiny tactics game I've played in ages.
The way you need to have your bases covered and be thinking two, three steps ahead really reminded me of playing Into the Breach with Beastieball - though unlike Subset Games' brilliant tactical roguelike, you don't get to see what your opponent's going to do in advance, giving each turn a frisson of wild and unpredictable energy. Just like in real sports games, I suppose (though disclaimer: I've never been one for field games much, as I spent most of my youth in the swimming pool). Still, it livens up Pokémon's basic concept of double battles to no end, as you not only need to think about how to best use your Beastie's respective attacks, but also where they're positioned - as some moves can only be made in certain positions, and attacks are stronger (and defences weaker) when you're up close against the net. The risk-reward is perfectly pitched, and it makes every match feel fresh and exciting. I also just like how moves are called 'plays' and can be swapped in and out of your Beastie's repertoire at any time. Sports!
The script (and the game more generally) is very thoughtful in that way - which doesn't really come as a surprise at all after Lobanov's exceptionally sensitive work on Chicory. For example, I love how when Beasties are close to evolving, they suddenly get a bit awkward and sensitive, sweating profusely (draining their stamina in the process), and generally being a bit despondent. 'Their bodies are going through some big changes,' you're told, and to just hang in there and give them a little extra support while they work things out. Similarly, when two Beasties play together often, their friendship can eventually bloom into 'partners' and then 'besties', letting them perform special combo attacks when they're both in the field. They'll also gain new ideas for moves of their own watching their teammates, giving moves a really organic and inspiring sense of cross-pollination.
Each Beastie is so gosh darn expressive, too, from their general demeanour and match animations to the way they'll spontaneously perform some keepy-uppies if you kick them a ball out and about, or let out colourful emoji reactions during a match when their teammate pulls off a good move (which feels doubly rewarding as their coach choosing those moves in the first place). Some are, admittedly, still a little work in progress. Beastieball is currently only in early access after all, and you're warned up front that there still might be some placeholder art in various places, including some of the Beasties themselves. But what's here is still incredibly generous - there's the entire story campaign, for starters, and you can play against folks online, too. Even the 'reserve' Beasties you've recruited who aren't in your main team of five can act as your Away Team, too, appearing in other players' games and gaining experience at the same time.
It's all exceedingly good and promising stuff, and it's backed up by Lena Raine's lively and toe-tapping score as well. I'll certainly be playing a lot more of it in the months to come, because I'm telling you now, The Breakfast Detectives and I have a good thing going on here, and I really want to be the very best, like no one ever was.