Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc Review (PC)

I already reviewed Fairy Tail Dungeons, which was part of two revealed indie titles tied to the Fairy Tail property. The second one is the one I get to review for today, Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc. I loved my time with the other game, so hopefully this one can also be a great time.

Game Name: Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed)
Developer(s): tiny cactus studio, MASUDATARO, veryOK
Publisher(s): Kodansha Game Creators’ Lab. 
Release Date: September 16th, 2024
Price: $?.??

Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc is a very simple premise. The cast of Fairy Tail wants to play beach volleyball. You start with four characters and play a fun game of beach volleyball. The more you play the game, the more characters you unlock, and can have a great amount of diversity in your play style.

The Good

Playing Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc is very easy and simple. The best way to play this game is on the controller as it has a User Interface that ties controls with the controller control scheme. You use the d-pad or the analog stick to move. You can then use one button to jump and another button to hit. If you press the hit button on the ground, it sets the ball and makes it go higher in the air. If you press the hit button while you are in the air, it commences a spike that will hit the ball over the net and on the other side to the opponent’s side.

As you return volleys from the opposing side, you increase the gauge on your side and if it gets high enough, the meter flashes as your magic ability becomes available. Each character has a unique move and animation when they use their magic attack. To use a magic attack, jump in the air and hold the hit button. It will then charge a magic attack and chuck it quickly to the other side of the net.

After a score is made you can choose to have a lacrima given to one of your characters. You get two characters on a team. A lacrima gives a small passive ability or can add extra ability to your spikes or magic abilities.

The best thing about Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc is the fact that it has four-player couch co-op. This is a very fun party game and it plays pretty well in that regard. Hook up four controllers and have a go at it. Or you can use Steam Remote play and play online. It feels hard to find multiplayer games that aren’t focused on online, so this is a nice feature.

The Bad

The AI in the CPU enemies are ridiculous in Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc. As Gray, I have to generally try spamming the Ice-Make Ice Cannon multiple times just to get a single goal. I think there does need a bit better balance between getting a full magic meter and having it matter. The volley does keep getting faster and faster but it shouldn’t take like seven Ice-Make Ice Cannons to score a goal. It should be a hefty attack that almost guarantees a win. Same with the enemy’s magic abilities. I enjoy the havoc but I do think it should be balanced in a way that is more focused on the normal spikes so when a magic ability comes out, there should be some tension.

The Verdict

Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc is another title from this indie collaboration that knocks it out of the park. Even if I have an issue with the balance of the game, I still find it a blast to play and get to understand how to play it. Having the ability to play in couch four-player co-op makes it a great party game. If you are undecided on either this game or Fairy Tail Dungeons, I do think I would prefer playing through Fairy Tail Dungeons more, but this game has more longevity in terms of just having a short burst of playtime.

Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc will be released on September 16th, 2024 for PC.

Review Disclosure Statement: Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc was provided to us by Kodansha Game Creators’ Lab for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.

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