High School! Kimengumi: The Table Hockey

High School! Kimengumi: The Table Hockey turns air hockey into a noisy little duel of puck control, surprise items, and character-specific dirty tricks. Its first-to-seven, best-of-three structure is easy to understand immediately, but matches get much more interesting once you start saving bonuses and waiting for a special meter to fill.

It is a better pick for couch competition than for anyone hoping for a deep sports simulation. Solo play adds character-by-character story breaks and unlockable gallery images, while two to four players can make its sudden earthquakes, invisible pucks, and goal-blocking defenses feel suitably chaotic.

Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first few minutes are wonderfully direct: you stand at one end of an air-hockey table, move your paddle, and try to be the first to seven goals. There is no long runway before the game asks you to react. You are immediately judging angles, guarding the mouth of the goal, and trying not to hand your opponent an easy rebound.

What keeps that simple setup from becoming plain is the pile of interruptions. Bonus items appear on the table, and striking them with the puck lets you bank an advantage for later. An earthquake, an invisible puck, or a force field over the goal can turn a clean rally into panic in a second. That makes timing matter: firing an item the instant you get it can be fun, but saving it for a tight point is usually the smarter and more satisfying play.

Each character also has a special attack charged through a meter by their portrait, giving matches a second resource to watch. The strongest moments come when both sides have something held in reserve and neither wants to blink first. The downside is that this same randomness can make a close round feel abruptly stolen rather than cleanly won. If you want pure, disciplined air hockey, the tricks may grate. If you enjoy a competitive game that welcomes a little sabotage, they are the reason to play.

Versus is where the format has the most life, especially with friends rotating through characters and learning when to spend their specials. Solo play at least gives you character-specific story sections between opponents, so it has more shape than a bare sequence of matches. The best-of-three match format is compact enough that a loss rarely feels like a huge commitment.

High School! Kimengumi: The Table Hockey — screenshot 1

Graphics

The action uses a view from one end of the air-hockey table, putting your paddle in the foreground and making the basic back-and-forth easy to follow. Character portraits sit beside the charging special meter, while the unlockable gallery gives progression a collection of images to work toward.

High School! Kimengumi: The Table Hockey — screenshot 2

Story

Do not come here expecting an elaborate narrative campaign. The solo mode breaks up opponents with story sections tied to the characters, which gives the licensed cast a reason to take turns in the spotlight.

That framing is enough to add personality to what would otherwise be a simple ladder of air-hockey matches. It also makes playing alone feel less like practice for versus, even though the actual contest remains the focus.

The gallery is a modest but sensible reward for sticking with that progression. Fans of the manga have the clearest reason to care about these character-centered interludes and unlocks; everyone else will likely treat them as a pleasant breather between rounds.

Overall Experience

High School! Kimengumi: The Table Hockey is a small, scrappy licensed game that understands a crucial thing about tabletop sports: a puck crossing the line is only half the fun. The other half is making the other person groan when your stored trick turns the next point upside down.

Its limits are also plain. The base game is air hockey, and the best-of-three rounds will not sustain you if the item chaos and special attacks do not land. But the rules are quick, the stakes are immediate, and a close seven-point race has the right kind of arcade tension.

Give it a chance if you want an oddball PlayStation multiplayer game with character powers and a light solo wrapper, particularly if the Kimengumi license means something to you. For a very different school-themed licensed game, see High School Musical: Sing It!; this one is far more interested in quick puck duels than performing.