Developed By: Badgerhammer Limited
Published By: Platonic Friends
Category: Sports
Release Date: 05.08.25
Price: $8.99
*Game Download Code graciously provided for the purpose of review
I love sports. I’m a huge baseball fan and watch a lot as well as collect lots of cards. I follow basketball and hockey too. But I could never seem to get into sports video games outside of the quirky ones like Everybody’s Golf and Golf Story. Earlier this year I found another quirky sports title called Dunk Dunk and it looked fun so I gave it a shot. It looked like a chaotic arcade basketball game so I thought I’d like it.
But I was kinda disappointed. Okay, maybe a lot disappointed. First of all, it isn’t a real basketball game. It’s a mix between combat that’s reminiscent of Stick Fight The Game and frantic platforming. The only thing that really resembles basketball is the ball. Pick a character and jump into a small stage where you fight against someone else or the AI to score as many points as possible.
Playing against the AI was rough. Even on normal settings, I just couldn’t get a hang of the controls to actually play well. I lost every match and sometimes could barely even score one point because aiming and physics were often rough. There was a lot of luck and RNG involved too because you have to hope the physics do what you want whether for ball movement or jumping. On the easiest mode, the AI doesn’t do shit and you can score over and over without any challenge and it gets boring rather quickly. There’s no in between.
Even when playing with someone else, it’s just confusion and luck the entire match. You can body slam your opponents but it’s a 50/50 chance at actually helping you out. The game is silly and frantic but after just two or three matches, the game will leave you bored or angry. But that’s not to say the game doesn’t have some good quirks.
As a whole, Dunk Dunk is a very silly experience and the options for characters are pretty cool. You can mix and match body parts for characters and that includes stuff from other franchises. The artwork is pretty good as well and there are lots of options on regard to creating your own custom matches. But all the charm you get from those aspects don’t make up for the shortcomings.
Matches can flip from effortless to infuriating with no warning. The AI jumps between brain-dead and hyper-aggressive. The physics will send the ball flying at angles that don’t make any sense. It definitely adds more to the “chaotic energy” of the game, but that doesn’t translate to fun very well.
If you’re looking for a polished sports title, Dunk Dunk isn’t completely worth it, not even as a silly arcade or party game. The game does cost $8.99, which isn’t terrible but it’s only worth picking up to play with other real people, and you might not get more than an hour or two out of it. If it was $5 or less, it would be a decent pickup.
2.5/5
About the Author
