There aren’t many games out there that are ‘family-friendly’ in the sports genre. Sure, any kid could probably boot up FC 26 and get a game going in a few minutes, but basketball? Show me a child navigating the cumbersome menus of NBA 2K and I’ll ask when he was presented with a MacArthur Genius Grant. Enter NBA Bounce.
It’s presented as a game that on the surface is about as straightforward as any sports game is likely to be, playing it incredibly safe for the ‘family’ crowd who are getting bored of endless rounds of Super Mario Party.
Get On The Court
So with NBA Bounce, no, you’re not going to be tearing through reams of information and player bios to find which hand your star player is better at slam dunking with, nor will you be trifling through the nonsense of microtransactions.
NBA Bounce is as basic as any basketball game, nay, any sports game could wish to be, and whether or not that’s a good or a bad thing is very dependent on what you wanted to play this game for and which demographic the game is truly aimed at.
I try not to be cynical in my old age regarding games designed for the younglings. I mean I could spend weeks spouting how great the recent Smurfs game was (and I do), and everyone knows I love Sonic and Mario, but there’s always a thing niggling in the back of my mind of when I was growing up. Video games that carried licenses were, by and large, utter bobbins. To the extent that GoldenEye 007 is regarded so ridiculously highly. It genuinely was a brilliant game at a time of absolute tripe, coming from studios who wanted to make a quick penny off tie-in games to movies and TV shows.
In my head, anything like that will automatically be a cause for concern. Thankfully, NBA Bounce is actually pretty fun, albeit with little to offer. You can probably tell from the screenshots I’ve included that this definitely isn’t NBA 2K26, and thank goodness for that. I don’t think I’ve got the energy in me to go through that twice a year. Thankfully, developer Outright Games have seen it right to bring a lighter touch to the NBA, and with the full license have a good fun time with mascots and created players. There’s little here in terms of simulation, and it’s a wonderfully welcome break from a genre that takes itself far too seriously.
Leave It All Out There
It’s also evident on the court, where gameplay is incredibly easy to understand (also thanks to a handy tutorial at the start of the game). Cross throws the ball to a teammate, Square is shoot (with a power up bar that has a sweet spot for a guaranteed net, unless you’re close enough to the net and you can just jump and dunk it), R2 is run. It’s all very, very easy to get stuck into and it’s to the game’s benefit, as the controls are simple enough that pretty much guarantees anyone can pick up a controller and have a go.
And its simplicity is its strongest asset. I’ve played through a full season with the Chicago Bulls (or their ‘NBA Bounce’ recreation) and had a good time, never feeling like I was bored or that it was overtly simple to win every game. A difficulty selection is on offer if you’d like an extra boost in the challenge, and it does have a tendency to ramp up more than you might expect.
Outside of a full season you can play a one-off match (locally – there’s no online option), create your own tournament, practice and perhaps the games best mode – Party Mode.
In Party Mode the game of basketball turns into a deadly game of hot potato, a basketball game where you can score seven points from 3-pointers, the ball deciding to just do whatever it wants to do, the basket itself closing and opening of its own volition and much more. The modifiers change each quarter of the game and you can’t choose them, so it keeps you on your toes whatever may come up next.
It’s genuinely good fun and adds a spark of madness to the entire shebang, something that NBA 2K26 is sorely missing. In multiplayer there’s a bunch of fun to be had in this mode as you and your couch partner stare at each other in disbelief and whatever they throw at you next. A properly good time.
Air Ball. Hitting The Iron etc…
The less than solid aspects of NBA Bounce is the game has about as much depth as a puddle. Bounce works completely on the surface, and isn’t hiding anything behind its colourful, breezy front door. The game offers rewards at the end of every victorious match, but they’re mostly just collectibles or new different variants of a basketball you can play with. That’s about as exciting as it gets in terms of unlocking stuff. At one point I unlocked logos of the team I was playing as to look at. As I hadn’t been doing that for the last half hour playing as them in the season. A strange inclusion, indeed.
At The End Of The Day…
Then there’s the biggest thing I’m wrestling with – the price. This is no doubt a symptom of using the official NBA license but at £45, it’s a very steep cost for such a straightforward game that is terribly short lived. At nearly fifty quid I’d expect at least an online mode, something that adds to the longevity of the game. Ergo, it’s not here, so I worry the game has priced itself out of a fun little pick-up game for families to play over half-terms.
Which is a shame, because what is here, is refined, presented well and most importantly, good fun. A solid family-friendly alternative to the excessive nonsense of the NBA 2K series. Except for the commentary, turn that off immediately, it’s utterly hateful.
Once this one pops up at a discount, it’s going to be worth a look. At full price though? It’s a tough one to recommend.
NBA Bounce is out now on PlayStation 5 (review platform), Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PC.
Developer: Outright Games
Publisher: Outright Games
Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.
If you enjoyed this article or any more of our content, please consider our Patreon.
Make sure to follow Finger Guns on our social channels. Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, Spotify or Apple Podcasts – to keep up to date on our news, reviews and features.