Dunk Lords

Genre: Sports (Basketball)

Players: 1-4 Team Competitive (Local)

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Review:

Dunk Lords is a Basketball game released on PC and Xbox One in 2020 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2021. This is an Arcade-y 2-v-2 version of the sport that channels the same sort of spirit as the classic NBA Jam series.

The presentation here is fantastic. Both the slightly-cartoony 3D characters and the courts they compete in have plenty of personality, great animation, and some excellent detail. There are even some nice touches in some courts like reflections on the floors or raging fires in the backgrounds. Ah yes, on that note, do not expect anything approaching realism here, especially when the roster of characters includes robots, space aliens, and… an anthropomorphic strawberry-person? These characters are all decently voiced, with energetic music in the background that is well-suited for this game’s fast-paced gameplay.

And wow, is the gameplay here fast-paced. Even with only four characters on the court, it’s often difficult to keep up with everything going on. Wait, how did they get the ball again? How come my move didn’t wo-ohh, I’m out of stamina. Wait, I thought I was… gahhh!

It’s a lot to get used to, and frankly I think this game could be better-served by having a speed setting, especially so newer players can get a feel for everything going on at a given time. This is also important because there’s a fair amount of nuance to the gameplay here. Different types of shots, shot bonuses, different kinds of steals, different kinds of passes, character-specific special abilities… it’s enough to make your head spin, especially for a game that on the outside looks like a silly, cartoony version of the sport.

Because of the frenetic high-speed action, this isn’t going to be a game for everyone. But if you’re looking for an intense, arcade-style Basketball game on Nintendo Switch, Dunk Lords may be a clear slam dunk for you.

tl;dr – Dunk Lords is a silly, arcadey 2-vs-2 take on Basketball that hearkens back to the days of NBA Jam. This game is a bit too fast-paced and frenetic, but for those with the patience to learn it (and the ability to process everything going on), there are some satisfyingly deep mechanics here that make for some excellent gameplay. If you’re looking for a frenetic version of the sport that places fast-paced action over realism, this game is well worth a look.

Grade: B-

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