I have witnessed the future of sports games, and its name is Just Volleyball.

just volleyball brings a Mii-like Steam demo before its November 4th release.

Background: From Haikyu!! to a Controller on the Couch

Earlier this year, the writer began watching Haikyu!! after years of not trying sports anime. It was their first entry in the genre, and the appeal was personal: someone who had preferred not moving to moving found the series interesting enough to think, incredibly briefly, about taking up volleyball.

That impulse then met a much more convenient outlet in just volleyball [sic], a sports game that is exactly what it says on the tin. Instead of requiring a court, a team, or a lesson, it offers a small digital version of volleyball and lets the player test the feeling of the sport from a controller.

Development: A Mii-like Avatar and a Volleyball Court

The demo opens with an avatar customization screen that is not too dissimilar from the Mii Channel of the Wii days gone by. It has lots of hair options, some charmingly skewy face designs, a voice setting, and a jersey number choice. The setup is simple, but it gives the player a little identity before the ball starts moving.

Then comes the volleyball. Like real volleyball, the player can jump, bump, dive, spike, block, and serve. Unlike Wii Sports, however, the game asks the player to stay more on the ball than just having a controller around.

The controls are built around a standard controller. The left stick moves the funny little avatar around the court, and the right stick aims where the player wants to hit the ball. That target may be across the net to the opponents' side, or it may be toward one of the teammates. None of it is as easy as it sounds.

During a rally, the player has to be constantly vigilant about where the ball might land. If they are the one receiving the ball, they have to make sure the cursor points toward a teammate, because it is more than unlikely that they will score a point that way. Serving is finicky too. It requires precise timing and tight skills so the player can trick the opposing players. The writer never quite got the hang of serving, but made headway with the other components.

Mostly, the feeling toward just volleyball [sic] is delight. There are hardly any frills. The game is clearly inspired by Wii Sports yet is not trying to be Wii Sports; it is just its own thing. Just, volleyball!

Latest: Steam Demo, November 4th Release, and What Players Can Expect

A demo trailer titled just volleyball - Next Fest Demo Trailer is available on YouTube. Players can try the demo on Steam ahead of the game's release on November 4th.

For readers who enjoyed Haikyu!! but never wanted to join a volleyball team, the game is a useful bridge. It does not replace the sport, and it does not need to explain a league or a team structure. What it offers is a compact way to test the core actions of volleyball: positioning, timing, aiming, and deciding whether to pass or attack.

For players who remember Wii Sports, the comparison matters because the demo borrows the same casual invitation: a simple avatar setup, a friendly court, and a sport that can be played without training. But just volleyball [sic] asks for more attention than a single swing or toss. The cursor, the teammate, the landing spot, and the serve all become part of the decision.

The current stage is the demo window, with the release date set for November 4th. The game is not selling itself on complexity. Its value is that it keeps volleyball small, readable, and easy to try, while still asking the player to think about where the ball should go.