Sports Story

Golf Story was one of the biggest surprises in the Switch’s extremely strong first year on the market. Thanks to Golf Story’s charming, nostalgic presentation and novel sports/RPG fusion, Sports Story has long been one of my most anticipated sequels. 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.

Sports Story doesn’t hit the heights of its predecessor, overstuffed with new ideas and sports that probably should have been left on the cutting-room floor. There’s still plenty here to enjoy, both golf and tennis fans will find something to like and fans of the original likewise, but the trophy could have used a polish.

Sports story is a sports RPG like no other. Featuring a mix of sports and sporting activities wrapped up in one big story. With a multitude of characters to meet, you will make plenty of friends and enemies along the way. Sports Story isn’t just about sports, it’s an all-out sporting adventure.

Sidebar Games went ambitious with its follow-up to Golf Story. Unfortunately, that ambition ultimately sees Sports Story overshooting the green and lying somewhere in the rough.

Though golfing remains a highlight, Sports Story overloads its charming and intriguing premise with unrewarding side activities and boring fetch quests.

Sequels that don't quite match the lightning-in-a-bottle status of its originator are nothing new. But it's telling when a game like Sports Story regresses so much that the follow-up to one of 2017's most charming and delightful little adventures is as miserable and misguided a release as it is. A game far too broad and all-encompassing for its own good, lumped into a progression that lacks cohesion, explanation and even the most basic of design principles. Resulting in an experience, though briefly entertaining by way of some pleasant distractions and spots of similarly-charming writing, tech...