Play Sanrio Cup PonPon Volley Online

Sanrio Cup PonPon Volley came out on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992, published by Atlus. It was a late NES release, a time when many developers were already moving on to the 16-bit consoles, so it has that specific, polished look of a game made when the hardware was well understood. You don't see many sports games starring Hello Kitty and her friends, which always made it stand out on a rental store shelf.

You control a team of two Sanrio characters on a volleyball court, moving your player to serve, set, and spike the ball. The main objective is to win matches by outscoring the opposing team, which is easier said than done. The signature mechanics are the special shot attacks, like Badtz-Maru's curveball or Hello Kitty's powerful spike, which you charge up by successfully passing the ball between your two players. The pacing is quick, and the computer opponents can be surprisingly aggressive, making you work for every point. It feels like a silly cartoon that suddenly demands your full attention.