Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge are the five Ds of dodgeball. It appears to be a straightforward concept, but it is not so in practice. Fortunately, Pocket Trap, a Brazilian gaming studio, has unveiled their new sports RPG Dodgeball Academia, so you can put that hypothesis to the ultimate test.
Dodgeball Academia, which was announced at this year’s PC Gaming Show, is a sports RPG about Otto, a rookie dodgeball student who, in true main character style, aspires to be the ultimate dodgeball champion. Who doesn’t like a good underdog story?
To be proclaimed the school’s dodgeball champion, you must first fight your way to the top. Matches feature a blend of RPG features and real-time fighting, with downtime spent running around and exploring the school to recruit team members. When you have the best squad, you can go toe-to-toe with your opponents on the court.
Dodgeball matches appear to be 3v3 affairs, but the clip suggests that there may be some extra difficulties thrown in, such as boss bouts and time trials. Characters in your group may level up in an RPG-style development system, gaining unique abilities such as the ability to heal other players, unleashing strong beams of energy, and (my personal favorite) smack talk your opponents on the court. It’s unclear if you’ll be commanding just the main character or the entire squad, but it appears like you’ll have influence over how players utilize their powers throughout matches.
Dodgeball Academia has a great aesthetic to it. The bouts appear to be entertaining and lively, and the cartoony graphic design complements the chaotic essence of the sport. Dodgeball appears to be the sport of the hour, thanks to the recent release of EA’s new online game Knockout City.
Dodgeball Academia will be released in August 2021 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
