Hermit Crab Studios, a developer with a history of developing both mobile games and games within platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, has announced its latest project, and it’s a game with big ambition. Aiming to offer gamers a variety of sports games to play within the same video game, Sportia will take an arcade approach to sports gaming, using a Mario Sports-style cast of characters, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses, which make them better or worse suited to different sports or roles.
While information on the game — which was just recently announced — is still relatively sparse, here are some key pieces of news we know to help you get a better understanding of what to expect from Sportia when it releases.
A Multi-Sport Experience
Rather than focusing on one sport only, Sportia will instead be featuring a range of sports, with games mentioned on the official Steam page including football, rugby, tennis, parkour, rock climbing, baseball, soccer, skateboarding, and surfing. There are pros and cons to this approach.
On the one hand, having multiple sports in the game executed well can make Sportia an excellent proposition for gamers. Games like the Mario Party or Wii Sports series have shown that having multiple fun and unique games can be a recipe for a great game, despite none of the individual games having the kind of depth a dedicated game of that type might offer. On the other hand, spreading resources and focus so wide also runs the risk of having a lot of mediocre gaming experiences instead of one or two really good ones.
An Open World And Timed Events
Sportia will also be bringing something familiar to gamers of many modern sports games and their online worlds to the table: an open-world experience. While further details are not yet available, it appears the game may use something akin to NBA 2K‘s The City mode, where you can move about to different events and sports.
The game page also discusses some of the game modes that will be available, noting that both traditional-looking games and minigames will be on offer, as well as timed theme events, which have become a common part of modern sports games’ online experience.
Information on Sportia is still at a premium as the game is newly announced and does not even yet have a known release date target, but if you’re into arcade-style sports gaming and want a game with lots of options that is great for playing with friends or in a pass-and-play party situation this is one to watch. With a little luck it will develop into a must-have party sports game in the months ahead.
