Steam] Enjoy the sports fall at home! PC Sports Game Special

How are you doing, Akiba Research Institute readers? It's now the second half of September, and as the cooler days continue, I am feeling that autumn has finally arrived. Autumn is often referred to as "the season of appetite," "the season of learning," "the season of the arts," and so on, but this time, in honor of "the season of sports," I would like to introduce some sports games available on Steam. By the way, the author is not very good at real sports. ......

Click here to see the list of previous features.



1. " Golf It! ", a golf game with lots of tricks to enjoy multiplayer play and stage creation


  • Golf It! " (Perfuse Entertainment)
  • Released on February 18, 2017 (*Early Access)
  • Price: 898 yen (as of September 14, 2020)
  • Copyright: (c) 2017 Perfuse Entertainment

Of all the sports, golf is probably the easiest to make the subject of a game. There are many classics such as "Everybody's Golf" and "Mario Golf," as well as many interesting indie titles such as "WHAT THE GOLF?" and "Golf Story.
Golf It!" is another indie golf game.



This is an orthodox golf game in which players hit a ball, place it in a cup, and play around a hole.
The courses are generally short, and there are no factors such as the strength of the wind or the direction of the grass, so the gameplay is casual and more like putting golf than a full-fledged golf game.

The controls are very simple and clear, and basically only the mouse is used. In "Everybody's Golf," the power to hit the ball is determined by the timing of when to stop the moving gauge, but in this game, the mouse is simply used as a golf club, and the power of the shot is determined by how hard you move the mouse to hit the ball. The game is very intuitive, so even people who do not usually play games can play it right away without any explanation.



The most distinctive feature of this title is the many gimmicks installed on the course. Starting with action game-like mechanisms such as spinning blocks and moving floors, there are courses where balls are carried along by the river currents, roller coaster-like courses that make a single vertical turn, warp points, gravity-defying courses on walls and ceilings, and many other gimmicks that would be impossible in real life. There are also warp points, gravity-defying courses on walls and ceilings, and many other gimmicks that would be impossible in real life. The excitement of wondering what trick will appear on the next hole and the sense of accomplishment you get when you successfully complete a gimmick are the main attractions of "Golf It!



In addition to the gimmicks, the stages also offer a wide variety in appearance. The game offers a wide variety of courses, from classic grassland courses to snowy, silver-white courses, horror-inspired courses set in cemeteries, and Asian-style courses lined with torii gates and temples, all of which will delight players with their appearance.



While it is fun to play golf games stoically and aim for the best score by yourself, the game against other players is exceptionally exciting. Golf It!" also has a multiplayer feature that allows players to play with friends or strangers online, but it is most exciting to play with a group of friends who are well acquainted with each other.
However, to play together with friends, you need to have the same game, which is a hurdle. If either you or your friend own the game, you can share a single screen and play together!　So, I actually tried playing around the hall with my friend using "Remote Play Together" while talking on the phone with him.



Needless to say, multiplayer matches feel like a completely different game from solo score attack. You're like, "How am I going to get through this stage?" What is this gimmick? Nice shot! Nice shot! The game was heated, but at the same time, it felt like a party game, and we were able to enjoy the lively play from start to finish. I was able to enjoy the lively party-like atmosphere of the game from start to finish!



Golf It!" also has a stage creation function that allows you to create your own new courses and play stages created by other players, so you can enjoy practically unlimited golf with just this one game. If you are looking for a game that you can play quickly and have fun with your friends, please check it out.

Golf It!

2. " My Exercise," a realistic sit-up game with a surrealistic worldview


  • My Exercise " (New Deer, Atsushi Wada, Playables)
  • Released on August 27, 2020
  • Price: 370 yen (as of September 14, 2020)
  • Copyright: (C) 2020 New Deer, Atsushi Wada, Playables

Games that involve actual physical activity for fitness and exercise, such as "Ring Fit Adventure" and "Fit Boxing," are now one of the most popular genres. I want to play games, but I also want to get my workout in! These games are a dream come true for those who want to play games, but also want to get rid of the lack of exercise.
My Exercise" is also a game in which you actually move your body.



My Exercise" is the first game created by Jun Wada, an animation artist who has won awards at various film festivals.
Its unique visuals, addictive animation, and slightly surrealistic worldview are guaranteed to be unforgettable once seen. What exactly does "My Exercise" do?

When you start the game, a fat boy and a white dog appear on the screen. At the top of the dog is the text "Let's do sit-ups with the space key.



Yes, that's right. In other words, all the player has to do is to lie on his/her back with the computer on a low table, do sit-ups, and press the space key on the keyboard when he/she gets up. Of course, neither the game nor the computer has a system that monitors whether the player has done sit-ups properly without cheating, so you are on your own and should do it well!
So, as I write this article, I actually did sit-ups while lying on my back, as my work environment is a chabudai. Note that a light press of the space key does not count, but a long press is required.
When the space key is pressed and held once, or rather, when the player does sit-ups once, the boy on the screen does sit-ups once with animation and buries his face in the dog's body with a boffo. In this way, the player's realistic actions and the on-screen boy's actions are animated together. I mean, how enviable ...... to be able to mooch off a dog every time you do sit-ups!



The main feature of this work is the various forms of "motivation" that increase as you continue to do sit-ups.
The first "motivation" is that every time you do sit-ups, you get to bury your face in the dog's body and get to mooch off of him. The next "motivation" is a girl who sits beside the boy and applauds and praises him every time he reaches a certain number of sit-ups. After that, every time the boy does a series of sit-ups, various animals such as sea lions and bears come to cheer him on, one after another, making the screen lively. I don't want to spoil the story here, but by the time he reached 100 sit-ups, the screen was quite lively.
By the way, even if you stop the game halfway through, the number of sit-ups is saved and will be continued the next time, so you can do the exercises at your own pace every day without doing them all at once.



Exercise, in my opinion, is a very hard and lonely thing. I think exercising is a very hard and lonely thing, and I feel that if I have to fight with myself to keep my body in shape, I will lose heart and quit too soon. In this work, various "motivations" that gather around the boy support his faltering heart. In addition to the enjoyment of seeing what changes will occur on the screen next, the animations of the animals, which are drawn with a vividness that appeals to the player's sense of touch, will provide motivation with a strange reality that "everyone around me is really rooting for me. I am sure it will motivate you with a strange reality that everyone around you is really cheering you on.



Incidentally, if you leave the boy without doing sit-ups for a while, he will quietly close his eyes and melt. And the dog melts with him. What is he talking about? You may be thinking, "What is this guy talking about?　So, please play the game and see for yourself the shocking melting.



This is a simple game in which you simply do sit-ups in a realistic manner, but the game's appeal lies in its loose and surrealistic worldview and animations that make you feel as if you are "living there. While being a sports game that involves physical exercise, "My Exercise" also has a strong artistic aspect, and it may be said that this is a work that allows you to enjoy the fall of sports and the fall of art together. If you are interested in this game, please try "My Exercise" to tighten your tummy this fall!　By the way, the day after I wrote this article, my tummy had some muscle pain there. ...... I have a yo-yo body that I don't get enough exercise. ......

My Exercise" steam is here.

3. " Sumoman," a unique action-puzzle game starring a wrestler who turns back time


  • Sumoman " (Tequilabyte Studio)
  • Released on March 29, 2017
  • Price: 1,680 yen (as of September 14, 2020)
  • Copyright: (c) 2017 Tequilabyte Studio

Sumo is Japan's national sport. The fierce clash of power on the ring is a fascinating sport, but surprisingly, it has not been made into a game, and the only games I can think of are "Tsubari Ozumo" included in "Nintendo Classic Mini Family Computer" and "64 Ozumo" released on Nintendo 64. The only other games that have been released on the Nintendo 64 are I feel that there have been very few sumo games released on recent hardware.
Sumoman" is not a sumo game, but it is a puzzle action game in which sumo wrestlers play an active role.



The main character in this title is Sumoman, a young man who is a sumo wrestler. He is in the middle of a sumo tournament when he receives strange news from his grandmother and rushes back to his hometown island in his clothes, naked and wearing a sumo wrestler's belt, but for some reason everyone on the island, including the boatman who carried him, has fallen asleep. This is the scent of an anomaly ......!　So, the story of this work is that Rikishi explores the island to find the cause of this anomaly. By the way, Rikishi's first name is "Oidon. He must be an old-fashioned Kyushu boy. ......?



The game is an orthodox side-scrolling action game in which you move left and right and jump. However, there is no attacking element in this game, and the gameplay has puzzle elements, such as grabbing and moving things to solve gimmicks and move on to the next level.
However, the lack of combat elements does not mean that there is no "unique sumo feeling" in this game. The main character, a sumo wrestler, can use powerful techniques that only a sumo wrestler can use, such as the "Smo Attack," in which he moves forward while stepping on his four legs, and the "Smo Shake," in which he shakes the ground by stepping on his four legs as hard as he can to move objects. These are powerful techniques that only rikishi are capable of.



I have an image of a sumo wrestler with well-trained legs and backs, walking heavily, but for some reason, the main character in this work does not seem to have very strong legs and backs, and his center of gravity is quite wobbly. The main character, however, does not seem to have very strong legs and feet, and his center of gravity is quite wobbly.

So, if a slightly wobbly wrestler stumbles over a bump or fails to land after a jump, he will stumble and fall. Once he falls, he may be unable to get up again, perhaps because of his huge body, or perhaps he has fallen asleep due to the strange phenomenon that has infested the island. It is what is called a "dead end.



However, even if you fall down once, the game is not over. Rikishi have a "special ability" that allows them to recover. The special ability is ......, and it is the "ability to rewind time. As a certain comedian says, "Let's turn back time.
Rikishi can rewind a certain amount of time at any time with the touch of a button, and if he fails in an action, he can start over again from the previous point as many times as he wants. This allows the user to repeat trial and error without stress.
But why can a sumo wrestler turn back time ......?　The author has no way of knowing, since the reason is not mentioned in the game, but at the very least, we can expect that this ability means that the rikishi, a sumo wrestler, must be unbeatable in the ring. It is probably only a matter of time before he becomes a legendary yokozuna who will make his mark on the sumo world.



It takes a while to get used to the peculiar movements of a rikishi, who falls down when he gets wobbly, and in the beginning he will have to activate his "time rewind ability" many times. However, as you gradually get the hang of it and become able to move the rikishi as you wish, the exhilaration is exceptional. There are action-packed scenes, such as crossing unstable scaffolding made of bamboo or running across collapsing ground just like in the movies, and when you are able to complete them smoothly without wobbling, it is inevitable that your brain juices will be pumping.

In addition, this title also includes many puzzle elements that are cleared by manipulating gimmicks and moving objects, so you can feel the exhilaration of clearing puzzles at the same time. The appeal of this title is that it mixes action and puzzle elements in just the right balance, and both can be thoroughly enjoyed.



In addition to the action and puzzle elements, the surrealistic worldview is also a major attraction of this title. The game has many non-game highlights and points of interest, such as the slightly incorrect Japanese scenery, the fact that the score items scattered around the stage are not just sushi but "California rolls," and that the save point in the stage is a Chinese-style "Dora" for some reason, which can be enjoyed in a relaxed manner. The game can be enjoyed with a relaxed feeling.
If you want to play a challenging action puzzle game or are attracted to this unique worldview, please become a "wrestler who can turn back time" and explore the island.


Sumoman" is available on steam here.

Even if you are not good at sports, sports games are fun!

So, there you have it, three recommended games.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I am not very good at sports. I don't have a single good memory from my school days in physical education!　However, playing sports in a game is a completely different feeling from that of real life, and I was able to feel a sense of exhilaration and accomplishment after playing the various games this time. Whether you are averse to real sports or a fan of them, we hope you will enjoy playing sports in games this fall!



Author：Nero Hyakkabe
Freelance writer who buys too many games. I currently have more than 300 games in my stack. Also a novelist. He is the author of "Goaken Unrated Edition" (Kodansha) and "My Mother's Lie" (in "Malicious Kwaidan") (Takeshobo).

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