Football Drama 12+

New release, I get it. But for $5 the game seems very unfinished. Managing a team, I thought, meant managing people, players trainers, hot dog sales and so on. Instead your players are reduced to dots. You don’t control tactics, instead you’re given cards that work seemingly at random.

I was really roooting for this game as I think other football management sims take themselves too seriously. I love the style and feel, I just think there could and should be way more substance without sacrificing any of the feel. Maybe it will get improvements but now the game is more of a depression sim than anything else.

I could go into all the reasons why I regret buying this, but I’ll spare myself the time and just use the most foundational reason: the commentary never changes. If you miss a shot, the sentences said by the commentators are the exact same every time. If you lose the ball, are driven backwards, make a foul, kick a corner, etc., the commentators say the exact same line for each scenario. Given that this game doesn’t have a whole lot going for it action-wise and is mostly a barebones strategy game that lies almost entirely on a simple fatigue meter and coin-toss mechanic about whether you will win versus your opponent in any particular scenario, this is just a bore overall. Wish I’d spent my $5 on something better, like a sandwich or a pound of apples. 2 stars because the game runs smoothly, it references the I Ching, and the color scheme and design are catchy. The rest of it is trash. I’m going to try and finish my season and then delete it.

Unusual take on Football (Soccer) games. Worth a try, especially for just a few bucks/quid/euro. Instead of directly controlling players, you guide them generally, as a coach, holistically one might say. I found it humorous, interesting & entertaining. And the games can be exciting...you wouldn’t think mere dots on a playing field would be, but they are! Also, a recent update (November 2019) has addressed some of the issues mentioned in other reviews. FYI, the game is also available on Steam for PCs.