Nintendo Reveals “Blastball” – A 3v3 Sci-fi Soccer Game

Blastball is a kind of crazy sci-fi take on soccer, with mechs and lazer beams.

I’m probably going to rustle a lot of jimmies with this comment, but lets face it. Soccer (football) is boring. The field is too big, there is little action aside from running back and forth, and games are often decided by a single goal. It’s not even uncommon for professional soccer to end in a 0-0 draw. You know what soccer needs? Lazers. Mechs. EXPLOSIONS! That’s exactly what Nintendo is bringing in Blastball, a new 3DS titled revealed at the finale of its Nintendo World Championships pre-E3 event.

The game is a 3v3 multi-player first-person, er, shooter, where the players pilot mechs and shoot at a ball, attempting to guide it through the goal. Each time you score a goal, the goal itself shrinks, making it harder and harder to score successive points.

Of course, you can also simply attack the enemy mechs, which disables them for a short period of time. If the enemy has an open shot on your goal, you can even block it with your body, destroying your mech in the process but denying the goal. Check the game out in action in the video to the right.

Aesthetically, the game looks quite heavily inspired by Metroid, particularly the Prime trilogy… so it does seem strange that Nintendo wouldn’t take advantage of the franchise name to sell the title.

All we know so far is that it will be released on the 3DS at some point in the future. Fingers crossed that it is actually some kind of demo or multi-player mode for a new Metroid 3DS title…

Recommended Videos

The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article “<i>Oddworld</i>‘s Back”: Lorne Lanning on Remakes, Game Design, and Abe’s Future
Read Article King’s Quest Preview – Resistance is Feudal
Read Article Project Morpheus Hands-On: VR Fun for a Lower Cost of Entry
Related Content
Read Article “<i>Oddworld</i>‘s Back”: Lorne Lanning on Remakes, Game Design, and Abe’s Future
Read Article King’s Quest Preview – Resistance is Feudal
Read Article Project Morpheus Hands-On: VR Fun for a Lower Cost of Entry