Sadly, the story side of the equation is not much better than the sports side. Each time a different sporting event appeared, it made me glad when Sidebar Games returned to the world of golf. The other sports are mostly relegated to minigames, with BMX serving up a mix of enjoyable races against the clock and frustratingly tough obstacle courses. In addition to requiring far too precise character placement and swing timing, I also encountered moments where the game would simply give the point to my opponent, even when I clearly scored. Tennis takes up perhaps the most time, but it doesn’t live up to golf’s superb blueprint. Sports Story adds activities surrounding BMX, tennis, cricket, volleyball, fishing, running, and baseball, but only a few are more than diversions. Sadly, despite golf being the best sport in the game’s stable, the less-enjoyable sports and tedious story too often distract from this glaring strength. In these fleeting moments, I’m reminded why Golf Story was such a success. The approachable three-click meter usually plays well, and considering the distance, surface, and wind direction to deliver a perfect shot never ceases to satisfy. Stepping back onto the links, selecting the right club and ball for the job, and teeing off across the eight courses on offer (as well as dozens of minigames) is still as fun as it was in the previous title. As sports go, golf remains the most prominent everything in the story is told through the lens of a golf-crazed world, and that often plays to the title’s strengths.

Unfortunately, its unfocused nature and frustrating gameplay are only overshadowed by a pervasive lack of polish that prevents Sports Story from being worth your time.Īs the name suggests, Sports Story expands the world to include other games while creating a more sweeping and ambitious story. Thanks to Golf Story’s charming, nostalgic presentation and novel sports/RPG fusion, Sports Story has long been one of my most anticipated sequels. Golf Story was one of the biggest surprises in the Switch’s extremely strong first year on the market.

Download switch sports story