Dino Galaxy Tennis is not a new game. The game’s been around for about a year but only now made available on consoles. We got the Nintendo Switch version to test out this quirky but fun tennis game.
Eighties vibe
When I picked up Dino Galaxy Tennis to review I suspected a Mario Tennis clone with cutesy dinosaurs. I was pleasantly surprised to see this game went the old skool route. Dino Galaxy Tennis opted to be a pong clone but with enough additions to make it interesting again. The main component besides pong has to be inspired by the air hockey games you can sparsely find in those last arcade halls in existence. The game has a top-down view where you control a dino on one side while your opponent tries to defend the other side. Instead of a white square or a hockey puck, you use meteors instead. To further add to the space/galaxy theme, you are actually defending planets instead of goals.
Think spherical
Half of your planet is part of the playing field. Meteors hitting your planet have to be avoided by smashing the meteors back with your racket. In hitting the meteors back you of course need to hit the opponent’s planet. It took me quite a while to get used to the shape of the “goal” I was defending. Planets are – as you all know – round. Moving along this half-circle felt odd at first because you’re so used to straight goals. Add in the rectangle with rounded corners as the playing field and physics don’t seem to make sense at first. Now I know physics are always correct – Heck, I’m even a physics teacher – and I just needed to get used to these strange parameters. Once I did, Dino Galaxy Tennis became a much more graspable concept and fun ensued.
Story mode – vs mode – challenge mode
The game has a story mode that sets you out on a journey across the galaxy to compete in order to earn badges. Along the way, you’ll meet many quirky-looking dino-inspired characters. Some are quite friendly and give advice while others only want to destroy your dreams of ever becoming the best at dino galaxy tennis. Defeating opponents advance the story but also unlocks characters and arenas to use in the VS mode. It’s also the best way to learn about all the different ways to attack the meteor and get used to the different types of power-ups and specials each planet has.
The VS mode is the one you’re looking for if you intend to whip this one out at your next party. You can play the game in co-op. Up to 4 players can join. The learning curve might be a problem to get your casual gaming friends to really enjoy this one. An online multiplayer might’ve made more sense to be quite honest. During the story mode you are introduced to some mini-games that don’t make much sense other than breaking the monotony of only tennis matches. If you are fond of these games you can play them in the challenger mode. With armageddon (defend your planet from all sides), block breaker (Arkanoid clone), endless (an endless runner), and flying (another type of endless runner) you have some extra options to get more enjoyment out of this title.
Conclusion
Dino Galaxy Tennis is a game that uses classic gaming concepts in a semi-original blend to deliver a fun game. There is nothing wrong with this game whatsoever but I doubt it’ll have a lasting impression on most. This is one of those games you’ll try, have fun with for a while, and won’t bother playing it again once the newness is gone.
