Retired Men’s Nude Beach Volleyball League – Review of a ‘no game’

Some games have a sense and a clear message from the beginning, others, on the other hand, simply seem devoid of any sense, or maybe they have one that deserves it attention different and a very special dedication. Retired Men’s Nude Beach Volleyball League, the title of which we propose the review today, builds its initial identity on a claim that soon becomes anything but, transforming the gameplay experience into a journey that makesintrospection its real nature.

At first glance, such a title can only elicit a laugh, given both the premises and the various videos published on the web by its developers, the guys from Snowrunner Games. Trying to go beyond the patina “particular” in bowing it all, however, you will discover a much deeper experience than expected, with a narrative ready to completely transcend the initial appearances. The title is already available and you can find it in the catalog of Steam.

Old gentlemen completely naked

The word “Naked” in the title it is the main term by which to adequately describe the game. In fact, at the center of it we have some elderly gentlemen who play volleyball on the beach, naked, and for this they are part of a particular League with the very strict rules that are extremely keen to protect its members. This same word, however, also represents the very heart of the title, given that during the whole experience both the protagonist and the other participants will continue to get naked, internally talking, at all times. Every single match and pre match is in fact marked by reflections and from the dialogues to draw each character. The protagonist continually reflects on himself, on his past, on his memories based on where he is. He also talks constantly with all his opponents, building a strange relationship of mutual respect with them.

There history, the only mode available, is divided into weeks. Each week is characterized by a moment outside the volleyball court in which the protagonist travels and reflects, and by an internal moment in which he will have to compete.

The league in fact develops along a series of stages that the protagonist will have to reach from time to time. Both the reflections and the various dialogues are total choice of the player, who can choose to find out more about the aforementioned, or be friendly or not with the neighbor. Retired Men’s Nude Beach Volleyball League offers two very curious elements, the reflection on the past and on the present, and as we will see later in the review an identity aesthetics all to be deciphered.

Speaking of games instead, here are some rules to follow: in each of them you will have to score 25 points to defeat the opponent, which are achievable only when it is your turn to bat, while when he beats the opponent you can only counterattack his shots. The fact of being able to score only in service and the completely staggered perspective of the game will make every single attempt to win difficult.

A naked aesthetic?

The second thing that catches the eye in Retired Men’s Nude Beach Volleyball League it’s his aesthetic identity: we talk about “identity” precisely because in its overall rendering every single element on the screen leads back to years and years backards over time, such as the CRT-style screen representation, for example. The game moves in one form two-dimensional, recalling in style the drawings of children, those that are made when you still have no idea what perspective is and the rest. The result is a product that on the one hand certainly stands out from all the rest, and on the other it is extremely simplistic in every moment, under every single aspect, even the sound one.

A minimum of dynamism is given by the various locations in which it is played, always and in any case apparently out of the hand of some infant. Some distinctive choices regarding some characters are interesting, such as thereferee, which will not only introduce us to the whole game, but will follow us step by step in every match, commenting on every point that will be achieved by us and the opponents, making jokes from time to time. All of this denotes a strange kind of commitment, even if the real message behind this video game is something else, and more intimately linked to the various characters that scroll along the screen with all their insecurities and paturnias, thoughts and daily problems in a totally unexpected stream of consciousness.

On balance, however, the total experience turns out devoid of real playful ideas. Curiously, the title is not fun and finds its own way to entertain the attention of those who are playing. There slowness infinity is one of its most negative traits, even after the moment in which its real conceptual reasons are understood. Everything is made in an extremely approximate way to be a video game or any other means of expression, with obvious general difficulties in the representation of the world in front of us.