Rematch Review – Rule the Field

Some people call this Rocket League, but actual players, I call it the gamechanger of how Football is played. Yes, we’re talking about Rematch. Developed and co-published by Sloclap and Kepler, this title is in for an ambitious effort to mark its place in the sports video games, especially for Football. But did it forge its place or barely make it to half-time? Let’s find out.

Here’s our official review for Rematch by Gameffine.

You’re Him

Instead of having the usual TV cam, controlling the entire team or a hero player, you now focus on being really on the field with an over-the-shoulder camera, making the game even more moment-to-moment. Rematch is a football games that let’s you play mutliplayer watch in a 3v3, 4v4, or 5vs5 format where you instead of controlling all the players in a usual setting of 11vs11, play in much smaller but faster format of football making as much difference as possible, all the while finding synergy with your friends or randoms you find online.

The game officially supports a 5 vs. 5 format in the competitive pool, making it the canon event of the game. Therefore, you can put down any strategy, play-style, and role, as long as the team listens and you are putting in goals. There is no default field positioning except a rotating goalkeeper, who keeps changing after every goal, or may even choose to push out if the risk is worth it.

The game lasts no more than 5-6 minutes, which allows you to score as many goals as possible. A draw situation pushes you for a match point, ending the game at the very next score.

There is no character progression apart from the battlepass and a chance to play in bigger competitive pools.

Around the World, But Alone?

Rematch is a very tight and happening game, which is insanely fun. The game had gone viral over the internet even before the launch and was openly accepted even after being a non-free-to-play game. Rematch allows you to go head-to-head against real opponents, giving you the freedom to use various tricks and techniques to outsmart your opponent and find the right chemical reaction to reach the goal. (Blue-Lock Fans, looking at you).

The game offers various techniques for you to utilise when pressing on, and enough options to tackle and steal the ball away from your opponents. Shooting is as simple as aiming at the goal and shooting in, but if the goalkeeper knows his footing, then you’re in trouble. Chip above your enemies, or dribble through their trajectory, fooling the enemy becomes your final choice of approach to score goals.

Flicking, passes, drops, intercepts, headers, and every other crucial element are already present in the game, but can you utilise all of them when the pressure is on you? This is where the major problem point comes in – Teammates.

Something that Rocket League luckily had to avoid at a certain level is now a major problem in the game. Reliability and teamwork. Unless you bring your squad in with good comms, the game is almost unplayable. You’re watching your striker dribble through alone, only to get tackled, and before you know, the ball is with the opponent. And the opponents do the same, too. Instead of building the game, passing inside the circle or spreading out, all 10 players are busy capturing the ball, only to lose it. In most games, the goalkeeper is always away from the goal, trying to score himself. And then you have no choice but to sit through the 7 minutes of torture the game is going to bring you. Rocket League, on the other hand, had to only make contact with the ball to drive trajectory, making it moment to moment for all the players to reach the ball first.

Defending was optional but always helpful. But there, Football has tried to be fused in a gaming mode that is unfortunately not working very well in half of the games. The other half is absolute bliss, and a pure test of skills and observation. Sloclap really needs to figure out a solution to make the game more rewarding when passing along. Maybe introduce a few finishers and skills that are charged only with passing?

My only other complaint with the game is the rapid drop in active players. The launch day made me wait barely 10-20 seconds, but now, even after waiting a full 5 minutes, I’m unable to get matches. This is a huge problem for new or returning players.

Strikingly Artistic

Sloclap has chosen to take the same art style for their game from Sifu, and have put out a very nicely done semi-futuristic football game that adds enough artistic space for developers to monetise it as much as possible. From custom studs to celebration, the game has something very unique to offer. The space for creating your own character is also well done, giving a very solid chance for players to almost imitate themselves or someone absolutely new from their imagination.

The SFX and OSTs are well placed, giving the game the premium feeling it tries to deliver, but controlled enough to have players hooked into the game without distractions. The individual animations are very fast, but different enough to let players work completely on reflexes to win one-on-ones.

The Final Whistle

I still believe Rematch is a game-changer in the football-video game genre that has an extensive global market, allowing for a great reception. But the fundamental problem of making strangers work as a team exists more than it should, and forces a major change before the game becomes a piece of history. Otherwise, everything else is super-fun, especially playing with a full squad of friends.