Beyblade has seen a resurgence in popularity lately. Whether it’s due to the new Beyblade X anime and toyline, or millennials being nostalgic, is up for debate, but there’s no doubt these battle-based spinning tops are back in the limelight. That also means a couple of video games, which are unnecessary.
No one in Gfinity will gatekeep anything, but we don’t see the point in making Beyblade video games. People play games to reach new heights with Mario, beat up enemies as Kratos, and solve mysteries as Phoenix Wright. You don’t need a video game to make spinning tops fight each other.
Admittedly, that sounds pretty harsh, given the sheer number of video games based on this hobby. Though they didn’t make a huge impact, we’re surprised that developers are still making them to this day. Check out the Steam and Switch online shops, because there is an actual game based on these toys available now.
We’re sure fans would argue that some of these Beyblade games are pretty good. The fact that games like Beyblade X: XONE are still being made proves that. It’s just that anyone who wants to recreate this experience is better off buying one of these from a toy store.
As someone who grew up with these toys in the early 2000s, there's nothing quite like building these tops, placing their stickers, and letting them face off. That stuff doesn't exactly sound exciting in a video game.
That sounds incredibly negative because you can argue the same thing about sports games. Why shoot hoops as Lebron James in NBA 2K when you can just do that? Same thing for the WWE games, because people can theoretically sign up for wrestling schools.
click to enlargeGranted, that’s a really bad argument, because not everyone has the physical capabilities to be a fantastic athlete. In the case of WWE games, fans like playing them to make their favorite wrestler a champion. Plus, these sports games tend to have mechanics that feel good and look amazing.
Can the same really be said about Beyblade video games?
People barely talk about them, most people can probably play them, and getting one in a toy store shouldn’t be impossible. However, injuries and sicknesses can prevent people from using these tops properly, so maybe a video game works in that scenario. But that's a major hypothetical.
Maybe there’s an excellent Beyblade video game out there with the same heart and soul as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. But we doubt that'll happen unless gamers discuss their merit and quality.
Just buy a Beyblade and let it rip manually. Do they still say “Let it rip?”