When I first heard the name Windjammers 2, my brain somehow knew exactly what to expect. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of the Nintendo classic Super Dodgeball, but it’s more accurate to say that Windjammers is what you’d get if you took a life-sized version of a tabletop air hockey game and dropped it into the world of Street Fighter.
You square off against another opponent on a pretty tightly enclosed court, each acting as forward and goalie, to use a little hockey parlance. The goal is to get the frisbee puck thing into the opposing player’s goal, either directly or by using the barriers around the court to ricochet the disc. But of course, there are also over-the-top power moves with extravagant and flamboyant animations. You can also counter these “attacks” to prevent your opponent from scoring and attempt to turn the tides.
If the visuals look like something out of the ’90s, that’s because the original Windjammers is actually a Neo Geo title that’s literally from the ’90s (it came out in 1994, to be exact). But beyond that, I think the art style just fits this sort of fighting game-style action to a T.
I normally wouldn’t have a sports-esque title on my radar, but I have to admit that Windjammers 2 looks like a lot of fun. Aside from single-player (against A.I.) and multiplayer (both local and online) modes, there are some fun-looking minigames that should help you hone your skills and pass the time if you need a break from what looks like nail-biting head-to-head matches.
Windjammers 2 is set to launch January 20, 2022, for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Stadia (apparently). You can check out an action-packed release date trailer below.
