I played volleyball in high school, but it was not nearly as fun as this week’s game is.

This week is Smash It Wild

Smash It Wild is a turn-based, volleyball roguelike from Goblinz Studio and Ernestine and published by Goblinz Publishing. The game was released on all major platforms in mid-April 2026 and retails for $12.

Another week, another shout-out to the developer, publisher, and PressEngine for the key. I appreciate the chance to play some volleyball.

Much of what I know about volleyball comes from Haikyu, but it is still borderline nothing. What Smash It Wild does do is take the utter ridiculousness of the movement and the prospect of winning to the maximum. Smash It Wild does not give the player an ounce of story, lore, ANYTHING, just drop in, play volleyball, and win. The onboarding is nice, as once you drop in, the game gives a brief tutorial on movement, set-ups, turn-taking, and how players “deal damage” to opposing players’ stamina meters, indicated by the heart above their heads. There were moments during the beginning of my playthrough where I had more questions than answers, and once I found an “answer,” it added even more questions to the mix. Mechanics and abilities could go a little bit more in-depth to show team synergies rather than just being a word salad on the screen, and passives and equipment descriptions can be a little clearer.

THEN OFF YOU GO.

There are four teams comprising various super-stylish mammals and reptiles, with a couple of central mechanics that the player can expect to build around. The mechanics are, at face value, a little ambitious, but when you start playing, winning, and participating in activities, you immediately notice a mechanical trend to stick to. There is a team that controls the field through ball placement, a team that leans heavily on high-damage attacks, and a team that harnesses the powerful ability to disrupt the opposing team. Each player has a number attributed to strength, resistance (how much damage can be absorbed), and stamina (essentially health).

The tournament itself is the roguelike. Choose a team to play with, and play through essentially a season filled with progressively more difficult matches, training that grants new attacks and passives, and shops to buy upgrades. If you win, you move on; if you lose, then the run is over.

I’ve played a lot of roguelikes, but Smash It Wild really hits home that choices matter. Every day, there is something to do, whether it is to buy upgrades, have the team get random upgrades, or earn currency, but you only get to do one of those activities. Having fans giving you relics that provide a collective passive to all team members, taking a spa day to rejuvenate team stamina, “going on adventures” that result in a random buff to stamina, resistance, and attack. Deviating from a mechanic later in the run and/or passing up on a key piece of equipment for a player will most certainly spell doom for your team.

If you win, currency is rewarded that is specifically used for the roguelike, permanent upgrades. Starting relics, better chances at rarer equipment, and more money. The upgrades are certainly weighted, and once you load back in, the player can see the impact those upgrades have.

Smash It Wild feels great to play. The concept of volleyball is perfect for a video game. The field is laid out in a grid-like fashion, and each player takes a turn, indicated with icons at the top of the screen. The player can attack with a selected ability, move, and swap with teammates. It is a sort of controlled chaos that results in a dance of calculated attacks and defenses, which had me locking in to make sure that all of my movements were optimal so that my opponents would not sneak in a point.

The way that the players hit the ball, especially when you score, has such weight to it that I couldn’t help but start cheering for my team.

After a hard-fought match, it is time to rest up and upgrade our equipment and our teammates. Nowhere does it say that this, but this downtime is the most important aspect of Smash It Wild. Having a team that works together, wins, and, as noted previously, stumbles on an important choice has lasting effects on your team’s success. Having one player that doesn’t share a passive or attack that matches the main synergies of the team destroys any semblance of team synergies. It is a little off-putting, but playing around with synergies is one of the highlights of Smash It Wild.

Smash It Wild is a colorful video game, and I am here for it. The characters are distinct (I really like the Radiants and the Shamans), and their uniforms 100% match that energy. The arenas where games take place are gorgeous and filled with hooting and hollering onlookers, making it look like a real arena. I am here for the animations, especially the spiking, which is always something I look forward to. It is super satisfying to see a little cutscene of your teammate do a front flip into a backhand spike into the corner. The announcer and the music fill the void of being locked in. The announcer is welcomed with his BALL IN and SCORE.

Smash it Wild is a fun video game. The ability to jump right into a run is great. Games are quick, gameplay is thoughtful and super rewarding, especially on the harder difficulties. The game looks great, and its animations are among my favorites. Smash it Wild stumbles when it feels like the opponents always make the optimal play, which can be frustrating when the player has to be perfect to win. The other issue is that team synergy is so important that if you stray from early passives/mechanics, you are certainly going to lose in the later matches. Smash it Wild is, for sure, worth your money and time if you want an easily accessible, do-ey ass video game.

7/10