Whether you call it soccer or football, it’s clear that this dramatic game of ball and net is the world’s most popular sport. Alongside other beloved international pastimes like baseball and basketball, football has long been entrenched in the gaming landscape. While several titles have dominated the scene in recent years, including EA Sports FC, eFootball (formerly PES), and the eSports darling Rocket League, football games have been overdue for a new perspective.
Enter REMATCH, a new football game from developer Sloclap, which puts an interesting spin on this beloved sport. Unlike the realistic, simulation-style approach favored by its peers, REMATCH opts for an action-heavy, arcade-like experience. With a major emphasis on online multiplayer and live-service updates, Sloclap aims to build a competitive community, in hopes that the thrill of the pitch catches on. Though flawed in several ways, there’s a lot of potential for REMATCH to become the next big football craze.
Easy to Play, Hard to Master
REMATCH thrives in its relative simplicity. In this team-based game, you control a single athlete: a welcome change of pace from your average football game. Though the visuals are bright, vivid, and slightly cartoon-like, the gameplay feels tight and natural, with a lot of control afforded to the player. Whether you’re playing 3v3, 4v4, or 5v5, REMATCH forces you to cooperate and play your position, as the game does not restrict your movement to defense or offense. The goalie can even run out of the box, which can be disastrous if not done properly.
Sloclap’s experience in developing fighting games is evident in REMATCH, with smooth and nuanced animations that afford incredible precision when dribbling and playmaking. In this way, REMATCH puts other football games to shame. When you’re in possession, you have unprecedented control over the ball, encouraging you to burst past defenders with slick moves. This is more than just a pass-or-shoot experience, as you can freely lob the ball, rainbow flick it, and bank it off walls. Much like Rocket League, there’s a huge skill ceiling, as skilled players can link together tricks to outplay opponents. However, you won’t be able to carry your team alone. Like in real football, REMATCH is a team game, and selfish play is usually punished.
The Highs and Lows of REMATCH
In its current state, there’s a lot to like about REMATCH. Thanks to the significant amount of player control, there’s little guesswork when it comes to making plays. Once you become proficient with the controls, you can start getting deep into mind games, feinting movement and threading passes with ease. If you’re fast with your feet and can pull off dribble tricks, there’s a good chance you’ll beat your opponents time and time again, something that only feels better with more practice. Still, nothing tops the elation felt when you score a goal, as freebies don’t come often, especially when playing against decent opponents.
Despite the strengths of its controls, concept, and visuals, REMATCH is not without its faults. The most glaring issue at launch is the substantial lack of content. Despite the mid-tier price tag, it feels more like a free-to-play game, and a rushed one at that. There’s no single-player career, wacky side modes, custom tournaments, or local multiplayer. Instead, you’re mostly stuck with casual and ranked online multiplayer along with some basic training tools. Some basic features are still missing too, like the ability to remap controls. Worse yet, microtransactions are already present, with paid currency and a “Season Zero” battle pass to unlock, something that should’ve been free for early adopters.
The Future of REMATCH
According to Sloclap, the future is still bright for REMATCH, with several updates already in the works. Currently, polish and optimization are the immediate focus, with most work going towards bug fixes, network stability, and other performance issues. There are plans to adjust some core gameplay features, such as the slide tackle, wall bounces, and more, ensuring that the mechanics stay fresh. A tournament system, leaderboards, and clubs/clans are also planned. Later updates should bring features like crossplay, AI-controlled bots, and quick play game modes, but there’s currently no timeline for this content.
REMATCH is fun, but if the game hopes to last for more than a few months, a serious content update is in order. Sloclap is a small team and they can only work so fast, but it’s a bed they made themselves by releasing the game somewhat unfinished. In a landscape where live-service games are shut down within months and projects are shuttered due to lack of interest, there’s no telling if REMATCH will be able to stick it out. For now, REMATCH is a fun alternative to most modern football games, but it has a ways to go before it’s better than its peers outright.
REMATCH is available on Steam
Short author bio:
Matt Owen
As a lifelong gamer and overall media fiend, Matt gets his hands on every new game and watches an unhealthy amount of movies and TV: action, horror, mystery, and sci-fi in particular. When not bingeing on entertainment, he enjoys reading and writing short stories, cooking, and producing video and podcast content.