Despite balling being defined most profoundly by this tweet, expressing how hard one's life will be and how factually one must tackle this inevitability, Mario Hoops 3-on-3 is the one Mario title thus to inherit balling true and crystal clear endeavour.

So huh, a Mario sports game not developed in the gaol currently holding Camelot. Sporting (heh) a wonderful soundtrack composed by none other than Soken, able to impress with his role in a recent small indie project and a great presentation thanks to its vast roster, 3D models and animations. I rocked the Ninja Luigi Cactuar team because I had to ball like that.

Hoops 3-on-3 deceptively keeps its deep and quite complex gameplay in the tutorial sections and honestly it's a shame because there's a lot to learn thanks to using both the dpad and the touchscreen, but you won't need as much mastery of the game to clear its most difficult hurdles. It's hard to explain because it's very specific, but it feels almost as playing The World Ends With You. Made by Square? Ahhhh that explains it.

Aside from that, if you don't play with friends after unlocking each character, there's not much else to do. Complex movements can end up not registered and that is very frustrating, yet when everything clicks the game is fun and especially slam dunking feels rewarding and engaging.

In conclusion, a BBall game on the DS sounds weird but it works surprisingly well, has a lot of fun potential and a steep learning curve. Won't keep you occupied long but it's got charm. So, I'd say, Fuck it we ball, worth checking out.

Reviewed on Feb 18, 2024


Comments