HAIKYU!! FLY HIGH Review: A spike of Nostalgia for the franchise’ true Fans

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HAIKYU FLY HIGH is an exciting role-playing game (RPG) centered around volleyball, created by Garena. It’s based on the popular anime series “Haikyu!!,” recreating memorable scenes and offering a challenging gameplay experience from the start. The game launched in July of this year, following pre-registration that opened in January 2024 and an initial release in Japan in March. Having played HAIKYU!! FLY HIGH for some time, here’s my review and thoughts on the game.

I’ve tried the game on a couple of different devices: the Samsung S20 FE Snapdragon 865 5G (Version 2) and an iPad 9th Generation. Playing on both was a great experience. The larger screen felt like playing on a console, while the mobile version was a really enjoyable way to play on the go.

Easy gameplay mechanics, but you will be managing a team that you cannot control

In HAIKYU!! FLY HIGH, matches are incredibly fast-paced, only lasting three points. It’s so quick that you barely have time to get invested before it’s over. Also, you don’t actually *play* the game – you just make choices. You select where to serve, then tap the screen at the right moment to serve and block or smash. That’s all the interaction you get.

This game plays a little differently than most RPGs. You don’t directly control the team or individual players’ actions. Instead of choosing every move, the game handles that for you. You can guide your players, but they’ll decide when and how to use their skills automatically.

It’s hard to explain exactly how the game works in just a sentence! It ended up being a management game, but with a lot more freedom. You might find some parts a little slow, but overall it’s a very relaxing experience. That’s because you don’t have to micromanage every detail or come up with complicated strategies for each game.

Let’s discuss the different ways to play. You’ll begin with the challenge mode. After about an hour of gameplay (around level 10), the main story opens up and runs alongside the challenges. To make progress, concentrate on completing those challenges. Challenges, the story mode, mini-games, and special events are where you’ll earn items and in-game currency.

Build your dream team strategically and win matches with ease

This game lets you jump into new matches one after another. You don’t need to focus too much on complex strategies-just build a strong team with good players. That’s because some aspects of strategy are within your control, while others aren’t.

Team synergy is important! For example, the ‘bond system’ gives your team a boost if players went to the same school. There are two types of these bonds. Also, remember to select players who fill different roles and improve their abilities.

Your team’s overall strength is determined by your current rating and the levels of your players. To improve, focus on leveling up a well-rounded team, prioritizing the strongest characters – typically those with the SSR rank – over others. This straightforward approach doesn’t require complex strategies, making it a more enjoyable experience.

Make sure to upgrade your players to avoid missing out on wins

Just one more thing: you’ll need to improve your players, and that requires spending in-game currency. The game prompts you to spend money every time you play, and without doing so, you won’t be able to access the PvP mode, which would have been a fun feature.

This game focuses solely on team ratings. If your team has a higher rating than your opponent, you’re guaranteed to win – that’s all it takes. However, the game is heavily filled with advertisements and relies on in-app purchases. Unlike typical games where you buy things in stores or passes, this game constantly prompts you with purchase offers no matter what option you select.

Experience the true passion of high school volleyball with amazing visuals and voice acting

As soon as you start playing, you’ll immediately notice how polished the game looks. The cutscenes are unique and well-made – they’re not just ripped from an existing animation, but carefully redesigned to fit the game. It truly feels like a top-quality sports RPG experience, perfectly suited for mobile.

Okay, so you actually get into the *real* story after you finish training mode – specifically, level 2-3. Then it’s take-off! It all begins when Shoyo Hinata is in his fifth year of elementary school. His drive to win and become the best player really kicks off the main story, and there are also a bunch of smaller side missions to enjoy along the way.

Experience the thrill of the anime with authentic voice acting! Feel your heart race with every incredible spike and block, enhanced by beautiful visuals and unique animations for each player. The game faithfully recreates iconic moments – from Hinata and Kageyama’s perfect Quick Attack to Oikawa’s powerful serves and Kuroo’s impressive blocks – delivering on its promises.

The game’s interface is fairly straightforward; you’ll quickly get the hang of it, probably within half an hour. However, the main menus lead to many different pages, which can feel cluttered. Simplifying the home screen would make it much easier to navigate.

Plenty of Resources are on offer, but SSR characters still rely heavily on gacha

This game builds on the mechanics of *Haikyu!! TOUCH THE DREAM* with some key improvements. While it offers a lot of free items, relying on them too much without a good strategy can actually hinder your progress.

The game offers free rewards like experience points (EXP), gold, and recruit tickets, but these aren’t meant to give you powerful items. Instead, they’re designed to keep you engaged and playing. You can earn these rewards through daily logins, events, completing challenges, training, and playing mini-games. One mini-game is a trivia challenge, but it’s difficult unless you already know the answers or have seen the show it’s based on.

The core of this game revolves around the gacha system, where you try to get powerful SSR characters. However, getting them with standard tickets is very difficult. Despite this, the game is fantastic! The animations are stunning, and each character’s skills and ultimate moves are dynamic and exciting – you won’t want to miss a single one.

In-app purchases: The only place where your strategy is important!

It’s easy to dismiss those pop-up ads, and even if you ignore them, building a strong team will still cost you something. While the game lets you try for powerful characters, the chances of getting them are very low – less than 1% – so be prepared to spend some money if you want to progress.

Free-to-play players can get by with the standard recruitment tickets. The game also offers premium tickets, but currently, they only let you recruit characters available early on, based on my experience. Since you don’t have a lot of control over things in this game, I wouldn’t want to spend a lot of money. However, it does capture the original feel of the game, which is nice. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how much you want to invest!

Final Thoughts

Okay, so I’ve been playing, and I think this game is really good! It totally pulls you into the competitive world of Haikyu!! – it feels raw and authentic. Plus, it’s come a long way already, and it looks like the developers are committed to making it even better, which is awesome to see. I’m excited to see where they take it!

Unlike games like football where you have precise control over every action, this game relies on quick, simple taps. However, what it lacks in control, it more than makes up for in its ability to refresh and revitalize your mind – it’s incredibly effective at that.

So, is this game worth playing? Absolutely! You’ll enjoy it even if you’re not familiar with anime or the source material. It’s a relaxing and exciting experience, and while matches are relatively quick, you’ll still appreciate what makes it unique compared to other games.

HAIKYU!! FLY HIGH Review by GamingonPhone

Gameplay Mechanics – 6
Storyline – 7.5
Graphics and Music – 8
Controls and UI – 7.5
Free-to-Play Elements – 6

7

Average

HAIKYU!! FLY HIGH does a great job of bringing the characters, their abilities, and the music from the anime to life. While the game has some strategy, it relies heavily on in-app purchases. On the plus side, it looks fantastic and stays true to the source material.

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2025-09-15 03:13