Craving A BJJ Video Game? The First One Ever Called BeJJ Coming Out Soon!

Stuck at home with no BJJ? Why not do a BJJ home workout? Oh, you’re already done with them all. OK then, perhaps you could play a video game. The UFC games, along with a few others spring to mind first. However, what if there was a specialized BJJ video game to play? One that could bring you as close to the mats as virtually possible? Well, there’s one on the horizon, in the form of BeJJ – The Jiu-Jitsu game.

If there’s one thing in BJJ that we haven’t seen so far it is a BJJ video game. To be completely honest, one would be extremely difficult to put together, at least successfully. Of course, it can never even come close to rolling, but it may just turn out to be fun enough to get us through COVID-19 isolation. Well, if it comes out prior to the isolation ending, that is. So far, the scheduled date for the release of BeJJ – The Jiu-Jitsu game is sometime later in 2020, possibly in the second half. Let’s hope we’ll be using it for fun when it comes out, rather than the only link we have with BJJ rolling.

Martial arts games

Let’s make a clear distinction from the beginning. There are martial arts games, and then, there are fighting games. If you call Mortal Kombat, Tekken and the likes martial arts game you definitely need to re-evaluate where you train. That said, they are most definitely fun to play, particularly if you can play against another human rather than against AI. But I digress.

So far, I guess, there are not many games you can really call martial arts games. Several editions of the UFC game spring to mind. In fact, apart from them, you couldn’t really argue that there are real martial arts video games out there. UFC Undisputed is a great example of how an MMA game can actually come close to what happens in the octagon in reality, given all the unknowns and possible ways of winning. The EA Sports  UFC 2 then managed to elevate all of that on a whole different level.

The only issue with these games, whether they’re fictional or reality-based, is they are not really Jiu-jitsu specific, Yeah, there might be a crazy move or two in Mortal Kombat, and even more in the UFC games. However, a pure BJ video game was nowhere to be seen. Until now.

The BeJJ Brand New BJJ Video Game

So, what is this brand new BeJJ Jiu-Jitsu game thing? Is it going to be worth checking out or just another failed attempt at a realistic martial arts video game? What we know so far is that the game is brought to us courtesy of Smash Mountain Studio. A good sign from the start is that the owner of the studio actually trains BJJ himself.

• First up the platform. So far the BeJJ game is intended to work only on mobile phones, and there’s no PC or PS version even in the planning. The reasoning behind this is to make it available for more people worldwide, as there is an option to play the game online against others, which I see as really cool.
• The way the game is intended to work is more along the lines of a card game (or chess) rather than the usual decrease in “life force’ as a result of punches and kicks. How that will work remains to be seen, although there is a trailer for the game which you can check out HERE.
• In terms of animation and options, there is a promise from the development team that using the lapels, for example, alongside other BJJ specific things are going to be an option in the game. It still remains to be seen, though, how that would tie in with the card game mechanics that actually determine who is the better of two fighters.
• This first of its kind BJJ video game is currently in a beta phase, meaning it is available for testing. However, there are still many challenges to overcome until such time as a full version is ready.
• Finally, the idea of the development team to actually make an E-sport out of the game, and create a virtual Jiu-Jitsu league is definitely worth recognition. In the future, the game should have teams, online championships and even special perk cards for specific skills. It remains to be seen how all of this is going to work out.

The Verdict

I will be honest – I am skeptical at best to the success of ayn BJJ video game. The initiative behind BeJJ is definitely worth recognizing. However, the realization, especially at it is a mobile phone version only worries me. Even if it was one of the best game development teams out there working on a high definition PC/PS/Xbox version, I’d still have reservations.

To an extent, they’re the same as the challenges the developers have been tackling with the BeJJ BJJ Video Game. It has to do with figuring out who is in the lead and who trails, as without punches and kicks that can be difficult to dern. Moreover, how will all the complex moves work, like tying together attacks based on different grips, and most importantly, scrambles?

While there are definitely questions, the fact remains that I’m not at all against such a game. I’d just like the best possible experience, which this game, might just end up delivering. In any case, if it drops as we’re still in isolation, I’m among the first people getting it, as there’s really a huge vacuum for anything rolling like at the moment, even if itis virtual

Wrap Up

A BJJ Video game sounds cool, but let’s see how it works. As long as it depicts BJJ in a cool way, I’d even sacrifice some of the graphics, which I have no doubt are extremely complex and challenging. Still, we’re a couple of months at away from seeing how it all works, so for now, fingers crossed.