I love an unusual take on a sport. From Supergiant’s iconic Pyre through to the video game adaptations of Blood Bowl, there’s something that really tickles part of my brain with a sporting endeavour, particularly if it relies on turn-based tactics rather than twitch reflexes in your fingers and thumbs. Smash It Wild is the latest entry in this small but perfectly formed genre, bringing tactics and roguelike elements to a volleyball/dodgeball hybrid, with an added injection of character thanks to packing an assortment of animals into each team’s roster.
Smash It Wild really does not explain itself very well. In theory, it’s quite simple, but in actuality, your first few games are a blinding rush of wondering what you’re doing after a startlingly short tutorial.
Each team of three has a grid on each side of their court, and you can move your players around before unleashing your attack on the opposing team. Each of those attacks will have different attributes, depending on that team, your players, and the moves you’ve unlocked for them, so they may cause ice blocks to form under a player’s feet, or poisonous slime to appear. Each player has stamina, which you want to whittle down, before finally being able to aim a shot that no one can respond to, winning you the point.
Runs are presented as a volleyball tournament schedule, with each weekday bringing the opportunity for training and upgrades, rest and relaxation, or shopping for equipment before the big game at the end of the week. The added Roguelike wrinkles bring a dose of customisation and randomness to each run, with each scored point, won game, or certain daily options bringing a trio of choices that alter or improve your team and its abilities, steadily upgrading your team members as you make your way through the increasingly tough opponents. As with all good roguelikes, if the RNG gods are with you, you can mash together a series of enhancements that suddenly make everything feel a bit unfair, and, well, that’s the way we like it, isn’t it?
Fortunately for Smash It Wild, everything does start to fall into place the more matches you play, though it could really do with an expanded tutorial rather than treating you like a spiked volleyball, smashed towards the game in the hope you’ll work it out. That said, once it does click, there’s a real delight to be found in choosing the right moves, getting your opponent out of position so you can deliver the perfect shot, and it’s all enhanced by the dramatic animation that accompanies it.
Smash it Wild’s presentation is excellent, and I love the hand-drawn sprites and collection of cool animal characters. I’m not entirely sure why they’re animals, but they look great, whatever the reason. There are a few annoyances with the UI – why are the moveset icons so tiny, and the descriptions for some things so big that they obscure the pitch? There are also some annoying bugs lurking, which saw the icon for a permanent team power I’d unlocked at the end of a run then became stuck in the middle of the screen, even after starting another run. Hopefully, they can iron these out, because there’s something well worth checking in for here.
As you progress through your run, you pick up a cavalcade of skills, passive abilities and new gear, with each player becoming a sporting powerhouse thanks to your careful management. Building your team to work in sync is important, so you need to think about how each of the possible moves slots together with the other team members, giving you plenty to think about before you even get to the next match. It’s a lot of fun, and with each team offering different movesets and tactics, there’s plenty for you to wrap your head around.
The one downside at the moment is that it’s a relatively short experience, at least for a sports or roguelike game. Once you’ve completed all three of the tournament difficulties for the four teams, there’s not much left to come back for. Smash It Wild is begging for a multiplayer option, whether local or online, and maybe more teams or daily challenges to keep players coming back. That would take it from a good game, to a great one.
