You may not think it, but Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure is one of the Switch’s best party games. The premise of a light-hearted dodgeball game might seem a little off, but that’s why it works. Developer Game Swing takes simple and effective gameplay and tosses in layers of ridiculousness that make the whole thing an absolute blast with family and friends. There’s a silly story about two would-be Dodgeball Champions and their coach, prepping for the big season opener. Instead of doing that, they wander off in pursuit of a kidnapped dodgeball pro whom one of them happens to be gaga over. There are tons of multiplayer modes, but the best of them is the mock game show Wheel of Rumpus. In short, you should probably get this game. This is our Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure review for Nintendo Switch.
The story mode is the game’s main single-player component. While the multiplayer options can all be played against the CPU, the fun solo aspects are mostly in this hilarious and Benny Hill-esque adventure of Jerome and Bjorn as they hunt down the kidnapped Heidi Starbrow. There are cinematics with goofy sort-of-Danish voice acting… or maybe it’s real? I’m not a speaker, but I know I giggled a lot. Bjorn and Jerome go from the Dodgeball gym to the beach to taking on a hippy bus driver and more. It’s way more off the wall than I expected, even from a dodgeball game.
You can play the whole story in co-op too, which was a delight with my wife. But the real fun comes when you gather a few more people and Joy Cons to do the up-to 6 player Wheel of Rumpus mode. This is a fully-fledged game show (think Wheel of Fortune) where the contestants spin the wheel to decide what arena and game mode you’ll play in. It’s an excellent party mode, and probably the most fun my family has had with the Switch yet.
There are 18 characters to unlock and customize, 6 arenas with varying game modes, and a whole lot of smiling to be done in Stikbold! Game Swing also makes a title called Midfall, described as a co-op wrestling adventure. There’s only a very little bit on their website so far, but I can’t wait to learn more. These four Danes are prized possessions in game development. Keep an eye on Game Swing, and play Stikbold!
