WayForward is a fan favourite developer now thanks to its many games, both original, licensed and revivals of classic big-name series. But when the company started out, it was much more low-key and released many games that flew under the radar like Sabrina: The Animated Series: Zapped! and Wendy: Every Witch Way, and more licensed games like that. Another title from that era that WayForward still owns besides Shantae is Xtreme Sports for the Game Boy Color, which has been brought to the Switch now thanks to Limited Run Games’ Carbon Engine and it is a unique experience.
While sports is in the title and it is full of ‘90s “tude” about extreme sports and being rad, the game has actually aged extremely well by taking a different approach to sports and making the game an action RPG. Xtreme Sports gives you a little world to explore and as you earn more medals by completing challenges issued by the various characters you find hanging around different cations, or by finding some hidden medals if you look hard enough. The game has a simple objective, win the tournament and investigate a mysterious gang known as the Bone-Heads and this makes the game so much better.
Xtreme Sports features five main sports to take part in, in the form of inline skating, surfing, skateboarding, street luge and skyboarding, with each playing very differently from the other, albeit with some common elements such as items to find for a temporary power-up. These events track your time and score, and some have flags you can collect as well, while most of the challenges require you to either match or surpass the opponent’s performance in those categories ( though not necessarily all of the categories). These events are not hard per se, but there are various stages to the challenges and different conditions to go for, so you may need a few attempts to get things done right.
The gameplay holds up well, even if this is essentially a minigame collection, albeit one that is improved by giving it action RPG elements, and the sports themselves are pretty fun though some like Sky Boarding were a bit frustrating to do at times. Some of the sports require a lot of backtracking in sections, as well as a lot of trial and error, but the controls handle well so it never gets too annoying in this regard. The story is also handled well, and already at this stage, we could see WayForward had that spark that it would nourish into some amazing games in the future.
Xtreme Sports looks great for a GBC game and the visuals hold up well today, as does the sound and music. This re-release thanks to the Carbon Engine has some nice touches as well, with good filter options, display ratio options as well as a selection of borders and save state options. Also included is an Extras section that contains things such as artwork and more that gives you a deeper look at the game.
It’s easy to see how Xtreme Sports flew under the radar back in the day, as audiences would not have necessarily appreciated it given the state of gaming at the time. With this new re-release, we get a second chance to see one of WayForward’s early gems and see just why it deserves some love. If you were on the fence about getting a Game Boy Color Sports game, be aware this is no ordinary sports game and is instead a truly awesome experience.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
