Sports Story Beginner’s Guide – Tips and Tricks

With a wide range of different sports to master, Sports Story has a few more challenges to overcome than Golf Story. But once you start playing, those other sports won’t be as prominent for a while. However, there are a few best practices when it comes to getting through the early parts of the game without too many hiccups.

Related: How to fix Sports Story performance issues

Get yourself moving

While Sports Story makes a point of expanding beyond Golf Story’s club-based roots, driving and placing things around the world is still at the core of much of what it does. So even if you’d rather play volleyball, you’ll need to know at least the basics of the game’s golf mechanics if you want to get very far. First you need to make sure your shot is on target by using the left stick to adjust distance and accuracy, taking into account things like wind and uneven ground.

However, before shooting, remember to adjust the angle of your shot with the right stick. Hitting the ground lifts the ball higher in the air, causing it to travel less far after hitting the ground and soar over obstacles while being more prone to being caught by the wind. Hitting it at the top will keep it low, which allows it to cut through unfavorable weather conditions and give it more run on the ground, while making the shot less accurate and even useless when trying to aim between nearby hazards.

Hitting the ball is pretty simple, your goal being to press the A button when the moving slider is on the two marked spots. Just notice that the leftmost target controls your power, while the rightmost target controls your accuracy. So in some situations it may be better to focus more on hitting one or the other.

Watch out for objects

While important quest items are usually easy to find as you progress through the game, it’s also worth taking a little time to explore new areas for valuable extra items. These are usually things like money and special balls, and your best options for tracking them down are things like trash cans, flower pots, and drawers. The rewards may not be necessary, but they can give you an edge when you need it most.

Always check the stores

Most new areas you visit will have some kind of shop. They can be large clubhouses selling gear or upgrades, or they can just be small booths selling a handful of more specialized items. In any case, it’s usually a good idea to check the stock at these stores as soon as you come across them, even if you’re not searching for anything specific in the market. Mainly, this gives you an idea of ​​what gear to work towards and how much loose change you need to scrape together before you can buy what you want. Just as importantly, however, these stores sometimes stock items that are important to you in order to advance your story, and knowing this in advance will make your job that much easier.

Don’t be afraid to take a winding path

Your main objective at any point in Sports Story is a fairly simple task at first glance, but completing it is rarely as easy as it might first seem. It may take a while to get used to, but the trick is not to stop when you’re trying to get your main goal straight from start to finish. If you get stuck, try checking out nearby NPCs to see if they have another task for you to do instead. It might seem disjointed, but more often than not these supposed side quests find a way to get back to your main goal, allowing you to progress the story.