Do you love dodgeball? Better question, do you love dodgeball but wish it was even more exciting and maybe involved weapons? Then we have a game for you, folks. Strikers Edge pits players against one another on a battleground where instead of balls being thrown its arrows and other sharp tools. Those who love titles like TowerFall Ascension or WindJammers will most likely enjoy Strikers Edge.

Strikers Edge pits players against each other on small maps. Here, you will need to manipulate one of 8 characters you can choose from to hit your enemy with projectiles. Dodge, shoot, and use special attacks to take off the enemies health to win the battles. Go online to play against others in 1 vs 1 battles or 2 vs 2 matches as well as mini campaigns that tell the stories of each character as they battle for various reasons. Strikers Edge delivers an arcade-like experience that can be played alone or with friends for some solid entertainment.

In Strikers Edge, players take control of one of 8 characters each with their own stories and reasons for fighting. Regardless of their beliefs or creeds, that all dissolves once they enter the battlefield. Here, the fighters must do battle with their lives depending on it. Are you ready for an intense battle? You better be, as the fight is about to begin in Strikers Edge!

If you remember the days of gym back in school—or if you’re still in school—then you probably remember one of the best games ever, dodgeball. The intense idea of dodging balls being lobbed at you by a fellow student is both exciting and challenging as you try to dodge and sometimes strike back. That’s why when we here at Honey’s Anime heard about Strikers Edge, we were a bit intrigued. Toting itself as a medieval dodgeball game, Strikers Edge was a title we jumped into with a desire to see if this proclamation was indeed true. After playing for several hours, we now have some thoughts on Strikers Edge and would love to share them with you, folks. Welcome one and all to our review of Strikers Edge.

Now as we mentioned earlier, Strikers Edge plays a lot like dodgeball. However, this isn’t a dodgeball game with large maroon colored balls. No, Strikers Edge is a dodgeball game with swords, spears, arrows and so many other sharp weapons. Players assume the role of one of the 8 characters who each have their specific weapon and special abilities. Regardless of your gameplay mode choice—more on these in a moment—you’ll be pitted on a map with two sides where you launch your weapons at your enemy to deplete their health bars. Whoever wins two games is the winner of that match, simple right?

Strikers Edge might seem extremely simple but there’s a complexity in these mechanics. Players can dodge, block, charge projectiles and even utilize special moves which differ between each here. For example, Tamsin is a mage who can throw fire and ice spears—each doing different effects when they hit—as well as regain health when she blocks a projectile. Haru, meanwhile, can gain speed when he blocks and even launch himself at the enemy after a successful charge throw. This is what makes Strikers Edge so appealing, the joy of mastering these mechanics to deal with enemies—AI or real—and figuring out how to master the game itself. Though this begins some of the issues with Strikers Edge in of itself.

Strikers Edge is a game that excels when you have people to play against. Trying to outwit another mind makes Strikers Edge feel like real life dodgeball. The AI does a good job as well and can be pretty brutal even on normal but often this is because it seems like they can time every dodge and block perfectly. An actual human opponent makes mistakes and often it leads to more interesting duals in Strikers Edge. The problem here though is that we haven’t run into many people playing online in Strikers Edge. The 2 vs 2 games are devoid of players and the 1 vs 1 we ran into the same dude over the course of 5 hours. This means the only real way to enjoy Strikers Edge is offline or with a friend but that loses its entertainment after several hours.

What you won’t get tired of in Strikers Edge however is the awesome retro graphics and killer tunes. We loved the design of the various maps—though there are only a few—and equally the character designs. It always impresses us here at Honey’s Anime when creators can make old art look cool even in 2018. Even the music, which sounds retro, is fun to listen to and makes the battles more exciting to hear. Strikers Edge works in both of these fronts and is easily one of the better elements of the game outside the gameplay.

Simple games like Strikers Edge may be one trick ponies in terms of gameplay and execution, but that’s the appeal of them equally. We love the quick battles in Strikers Edge and love how it’s so simple to play but tough to master. Each character has their strengths despite them all playing the same way and while some games suffer from mechanics like this, Strikers Edge actually succeeds for it. Our biggest problem with Strikers Edge comes in the lack of players online for it and the longevity of the game itself. After 2 hours of play, we already found Strikers Edge to lose the initial oomph it had and that might turn some people off. Strikers Edge is one of those games that is fun but for only a set amount of time. However, if you love fun action games for short bursts that you can always go back to here and there, then Strikers Edge is a perfect title for you and we’ll recommend it. Plus, at only $14.99 Strikers Edge does its job of being a fun title overall.

We liked Strikers Edge here at Honey’s Anime despite some of the flaws it has. With solid dodgeball-like mechanics and really cool art, Strikers Edge can be appealing to most gamers regardless of their level of skill. Hopefully, Strikers Edge gets a bit more popular though as the lack of players online makes for a title that gets dull pretty fast. This is especially true if you just go against the AI through the short campaigns for each of the available characters. What are your thoughts on Strikers Edge? Are you thinking this is the right title for you or are you going to pass on it? Comment down below so we can hear from you and for all your gaming reviews and news needs be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime.