Aeolis Tournament Review

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Fast Facts

Aeolis Tournament

Developer: Beyond Fun Studio
Publisher: Beyond Fun Studio
Website: https://www.beyondfunstudio.com/aeolis-tournament
Genre: Sports, Action, Party, Multiplayer
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: PEGI 3
Release Date: 23/07/2020
Price: £11.49

A code was provided for review purposes.

Aeolis Tournament is a multiplayer party game with a simple control scheme and support for up to eight players. Did the game rise to the top of my party game leader board or was it left at the bottom of the league? Find out in this Rapid Review.

One Button Fits All

Aeolis Tournament’s control scheme is incredibly simple: use the joystick to move and a button on a single joy-con to use an air cannon. This control scheme is used throughout the six different game types and whilst some may call the lack of complexity to be poor, I think the exact opposite! The easy to grasp control scheme means that it’s accessible for all. Each player only needs a single joy-con and with support for eight players, it’s a welcome feature! It’s also worth noting that I played some of the game alone and was able to play handheld without needing to undock the Joycon. Although I wasn’t able to test out the online functionalities of the game, an online option is available.

Six Styles

This party game features six different game modes. From the Aeolis’ version of football to the frenzy of snowball fights, there is some slight variation to the style of play. Fundamentally though, the gameplay feels very similar with each mode implementing air cannons. By charging up and releasing a barrage of air, the various footballs, bombs, and other wind-manipulated objects can be launched. My favourite mode has to be football. It’s a minigame I’ve played a lot before but an arcade, non-realistic version of the sport always goes down well!

Although there are only six minigames, Aeolis also features a ‘chaos mode’ which does exactly what the name suggests: creates chaos! Part of the fun of this mode is the sheer unexpectedness but essentially, enabling the chaos mode gives small modifiers which change up the minigames. The changes are small, but I think they do enough to spice up the gameplay without needing to create additional minigames entirely.

A Little More with the Score

Party games usually feature a very basic scoring system, but Aeolis changes the scoring system a fair bit. Instead of a basic “the winner gets x amount of points”, players are awarded for their individual performance. It meant that in a team game of football, for example, I was given more points than my crew member due to my increased goal scores. I loved this feature and it made me slightly warier of my fellow teammates. Although we were both trying to increase our score, I was being selfish. If I scored the goal, then I would get more points.

Sight and Sound

Visually, Aeolis looks good. Its cartoony, vibrant design is perfect for a casual couch co-op title and the characters feature a black outline. It is a subtle feature but helps distinguish the characters from the background.

When it comes to games from the couch co-op genre, I must admit that my expectations are often low but, if you’ll excuse the pun, the music rocks! The various game modes feature a retro party type sound to guitar riffs and drums galore. The music here is unexpectedly awesome and was certainly a surprise!

Choose your Character

Aeolis Tournament offers the choice of a variety of characters who can each be customised. I mostly played as the shark. If you want to change up the look for your characters, then in-game currency (awarded by achievements in-game and not microtransactions) can be spent on new looks and accessories. Having goals to work towards is a good compromise for the lack of a story mode.

Podium Position?

Overall, Aeolis Tournament is a vibrant and accessible party game for all. Its simple control scheme combined with the consistent air cannon mechanic means that anyone can play. The option for online multiplayer and single-player is also appreciated but its multiplayer focus means that for those who will not be playing with others, Aeolis might not be for you. With other players, perhaps those new to gaming, Aeolis Tournament is a party game I can see myself playing again.

Rapid Reviews Rating

You can purchase Aeolis Tournament for Nintendo Switch at the following link: Nintendo eShop