Dodgeball Academia Reviews

Dodgeball Academia is ranked in the 71st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9 / 10.0
Aug 4, 2021
Dodgeball Academia Review | SPORTS THEMED ACTION RPG video thumbnail
7.5 / 10.0
Aug 4, 2021

Dodgeball Academy offers creative and thrilling dodgeball matches. It's exciting to participate in competitions that resemble battles with special powers and exaggerated moves, and a good diversity of situations forces us to constantly learn new strategies. In addition, the game captivates with a colorful atmosphere full of humor in a world reminiscent of cartoons. Unfortunately the game underutilizes many of its systems and ideas, which makes the journey a bit repetitive. Even so, it's worth checking out Dodgeball Academia, especially its more complex matches.

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Noisy Pixel
Colin Buchanan
8.5 / 10.0
Aug 4, 2021

Dodgeball Academia has a quality that is difficult to find in many titles that try to capture the retro vibe. It’s absolutely a game created by a team that grew up with the classics, and it boasts those inspirations on its sleeve. What compelled me to this game was that despite its roots in the past being readily apparent, it still manages to carve out a distinct identity of its own rather than solely relying on playing to my nostalgia. It’s a title that succeeds at virtually everything it tries to do and does so with tons of charm and polish.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 6, 2021

This game might sound like a tremendous mess on paper, but it perfectly manages to mix arcade-like dodgeball matches with JRPG mechanics and cartoonish visuals to create something completely unique.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 6, 2021

Dodgeball Academia borrows smartly from a lot of old-school greats, but it’s also more than the sum of its parts.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 9, 2021

Dodgeball Academia blends RPG and dodgeball mechanics in an enjoyably stylish manner, with the combination making for a super fun gameplay experience. I had a really good time seeing Otto’s tale unfold, whilst the varied dodgeball mechanics and unpredictable opponents ensure that the action remains exciting from start to end. I didn’t think the sport of dodgeball could have so much depth, but the range of abilities and arenas on offer ensured it never grew tiresome when playing. There were a few things that could’ve seen improvement, such as the lack of variety outside of dodgeball, the harsh difficulty spikes, and the occasional technical hitch. None of these issues stopped Dodgeball Academia from being a heck of a lot of fun to play though, with it standing tall as yet another memorable sporting-RPG hybrid to grace the Nintendo Switch.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 9, 2021

The combination of sports and RPGs is on its honeymoon with the arrival of Dodgeball Academia. Standing out for its addictive gameplay and overflowing with charisma, it proves itself as a Brazilian pearl that deserves all the success in the world. You can see the affection of the developers in every little animation and every little detail of the scenario, to the point that our hearts just can't help but fall in love with this exciting universe.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Aug 7, 2021

Dodgeball and RPG is an odd combination that works surprisingly well in Dodgeball Academia — all thanks to its fast-paced combat and entertaining writing. You will find yourself giggling at times right before sweating your way through a chaotic match, while the games’ accessibility settings let you play it exactly the way you want to. To top things off, Dodgeball Academia offers a rare local versus mode, becoming a good candidate for those good old LAN parties.

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8.3 / 10.0
Aug 12, 2021

An interesting twist on the RPG formula, there is no doubt Dodgeball Academia will be a big hit with fans of the genre and sports.

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3.5 / 5.0
Aug 24, 2021

Dodgeball Academia [is] a title bursting to the seams with a Saturday morning cartoon charm. While the light amount of content betrays the fact that the gameplay likely lacks enough depth to carry it much further, it nonetheless provides a ten-hour story with enough humour and speedy battles that make the time fun.

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4 / 5.0
Aug 11, 2021

Dodgeball Academia is a joy to play with hard-hitting, balls-to-the-face action. The tone of the story may be a bit too hyperactive for some, a shame when we’re talking about an RPG, but there’s still enough joy and genuine laughs to be found to be worth your time.

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9.5 / 10.0
Aug 5, 2021

While I’ll admit that when you mention a game with the name “dodgeball” right in the title you already have my attention, bear in mind that doesn’t make me an easy guarantee for positive feelings about the result...

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7.1 / 10.0
Aug 20, 2021

Dodgeball Academia's campaign that's full of distinct characters and rewarding RPG elements is quite a treat to progress through. With that in mind, I thought the core dodgeball gameplay was too needlessly limiting to provide consistently engaging gameplay.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 4, 2021

The best part of Dodgeball Academia though is when everything clicks as an RPG. It's a joy to figure out the right strategy to win a tough fight. I love exploring the world and seeing what happens next in the goofy story. This isn't just a great sports game, it's also a superb RPG that, like the likes of Golf Story, should appeal to those who aren't inclined to sport.

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85 / 100
Aug 16, 2021

Dodgeball Academia takes a common sport in Brazilian schools and uses this setting to deliver a fun and challenging Sports RPG. Whether for its gameplay or story, there is a lot of fun to be had from this unique experience, tempered with a special Brazilian flavor.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

4 / 5.0
Aug 4, 2021

While Dodgeball Academia isn't a perfect RPG, the intense and amazing dodgeball combat combined with a cast of terrific and charming characters and an eye-pleasing blend of visuals to back them up still make for one quick and enjoyable burst of fun in the end. It might end up only getting second place when it comes to this year's dodgeball games, but it's a close race, and it still deserves a trophy regardless.

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84%
Aug 21, 2021

At the end of the day, though, Dodgeball Academia hits all the right notes to become a smash hit multimedia entity. Not only can I see an animation and comic book or manga series, but I can also picture a plethora of Dodgeball Academia merchandise like stickers, apparel, toys, phone accessories, dodgeballs, and much more. So you should enroll in Dodgeball Academia today and become the sports anime protagonist you’ve always wanted to be.

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RPG Site
Top Critic
7 / 10
Aug 19, 2021

Brazilian indie studio Pocket Trap captures the creative spirit of 90's cartoons in this odd marriage between the sport of dodgeball and traditional RPGs.

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Aug 6, 2021

Min-maxers can prioritize equipment and stat upgrades to further sabotage any challenge, but everyone else can just jump into Dodgeball Academia’s matches and glide through the snappy story. By the end, a full roster of characters unlock for use in a versus mode pack-in, albeit with no online multiplayer available. Super Dodge Ball fans will immediately respond to what Pocket Trap is up to here, but Dodgeball Academia should also prove an easygoing delight to anyone looking to sink into a very specific type of sports RPG.

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6 / 10
Sep 3, 2021

Dodgeball Academia does admittedly come together in a rather compelling way, but we're critical of the independent elements that make up this package. You might find yourself caught up in the storyline, which could potentially make up for its other shortcomings, but we found it a little disposable. It's clear that love has been poured into this adventure and it's absolutely superb to look at and listen to - we just wish the central sport was a more enjoyable to play and the dialogue wasn't so interminable. You might dig this game more if you get hooked into the grind, so to speak - battles are over quickly and levelling up is always fun - but overall, if you're not willing to get by on sheer aesthetics, you might want to dodge this one.

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