For as much as I love licensed movie tie-in games, mostly for their novelty value, the announcement of Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Game made me raise a lot of questions. First of all, why was this an Xbox exclusive, and by that I mean an actual exclusive to Xbox consoles, without the release of a PC version? Second of all, for as much as I understand that the game’s main idea was a result of a fan poll… what made the developers at Digital Eclipse decide for a beat ’em up based on a sports franchise? I guess those are things we’ll never truly understand, but the game is out now for Gamepass Ultimate owners, with other Xbox users getting access to it on July 15th. Despite some gripes, it’s not half bad.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a free tie-in which can be beaten in merely half an hour, but considering the rushed nature of a licensed game development cycle, I honestly think Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Game could have been a lot worse. Especially when you consider the habitual disregard for these kinds of games to actually end up being good in their own right and not just a mere cash grab.

As previously mentioned, this is a simple beat ’em up heavily similar to what Digital Eclipse used to develop back in the early to mid 2000’s. It looks, sounds, plays, and feels like a Game Boy Advance game, which is equally a good and a bad thing. It features really simple controls that can be fully learned in seconds: you have an attack button, a jump button, and a “card button”, where you can unleash a small perk after filling out a bar, such as recovering your health, increasing your speed, and so on. Finally, if you press jump and attack at the same time, you have a desperation attack that hits any enemy surrounding you, at the cost of some of your health.

That’s pretty much the core gist of the game. Choose between Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, or LeBron James, play by yourself or with two more friends, and deal with what little the game has to offer in half an hour. There are no puzzles or platforming sections in here. There are four levels divided in a few scenes, with each level featuring a boss at the end of it. For reasons beyond my comprehension (remember, the movie isn’t out and I don’t know if this is a spoiler or not), Anthony Davis is featured as a boss called “The Brow”. I assumed that he would help his Lakers teammate, but that wasn’t the case.

I don’t necessarily mind that the game is so short, because Microsoft, Warner Games, and Digital Eclipse aren’t trying to charge you money for it. What disappointed me at the end of the day, besides the odd choice of turning a sports franchise into a beat ’em up, was the game’s overall production values. Remember when I called it a Game Boy Advance game being played on an Xbox Series S/X? That applies to its visuals and especially its really poor sound design, which is comprised of half a dozen MIDI loops and some heavily compressed voice clips from Bugs, Lola, and who I assume is LeBron. The game looks ugly and stretched on fullscreen mode, but there is an option for a 4:3 aspect ratio, which makes it look a lot more appealing, despite the bland backgrounds and enemy design.

I don’t think anyone was expecting for Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Game to be amazing. Let’s face it, it’s a marketing ploy. It’s here to raise awareness for the brand new movie by giving you a few minutes of fun and some easy achievements. With that being said, I expected a lot worse from it. It’s decent for what it is. I still think that there is no reason for a beat ’em up based on Space Jam to exist, but all in all, there are worse ways to spend half an hour of your time. It’s also much better than that terrible Ben-Hur tie-in released for Xbox One a few years ago…

 

Graphics: 6.5 The decent character models contrast with simple backgrounds and repetitive enemy design. I suggest playing it on a 4:3 mode, which is accessible via the options menu.	Gameplay: 7.0 It runs and controls well enough, despite featuring just one attack button, one jump button and one “card button”. There are no combos to pull off, but you can juggle enemies in the air, as well as use a basket ball as a ranged weapon.
Sound: 5.0 Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Game sounds like a Game Boy Advance title, with its subpar MIDI soundtrack and heavily compressed voice clips.	Fun Factor: 6.0 It can be beaten in merely half an hour. It’s not the best beat ’em up in the world, nor the worst. It’s just… there, with very little elements that make it stand out besides the novelty aspect of being a Space Jam tie-in.
Final Verdict: 6.5

Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Game is available now on Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X.

Reviewed on Xbox Series S.