“Think Rocket League with humans!” Yes, we’re back to selling someone on soccer/football. Time is a flat circle. But the emphasis makes sense in selling how developer Sloclap (Absolver, Sifu) balances its past fighting foundations with Psyonix’s rocket-powered acrobatic battle car simulation and ruleset. The football’s punchy thump sounds familiar, but the tempo here is fundamentally different. Therein lies Rematch’s success: by forgoing certain rules whilst harnessing the elegant fundamentals, it feels more honorific of the sport than anything big-budget publishers have recently achieved.
Despite being more of a basketball fan, I understand why it’s called “the beautiful game”: all you need is a ball to kick, two goals across from one another, and a few people. Of course, over the centuries, rules and whatnot have evolved: ball material, official field boundaries, offside, yellow/red cards, and so on. Even with these complexities, what the sport has always been about is putting your plan into action. It’s easy enough to think about dropping a feathery lob to a teammate who blasts a rocket through the net; but then, a slight tip from a defender’s cleat ultimately prevents this immaculate idea from coming to fruition. The beauty is revealed in those moments of successful execution – threading the needle with a perfect cross or goal right in the corner pocket – that elevates it into something magical.
Of course, these sensations can just as easily transpire in FC or Pro Evolution Soccer. Where Rematch diverges is in trimming out the fat – those long stretches of slower play – where appropriate. Six-minute regulation matches (plus overtime for even scores) with no out of bounds, no offside, and no penalties. Like Rocket League, you’re encased in a glass box with some type of theme in the background: space, desert, stadium, and so on. Said box size varies depending on whether you’re playing in 3vs3, 4vs4, or 5vs5.
From a distance, this may not sound that impressive; after all, it’s not like various options couldn’t be tweaked in modern soccer blockbusters to a similar effect. The key difference is you’re just one player rather than a collective unit of players you automatically swap between. By having to play with friends or random players online, you’re on a team instead of playing as one. That quickly puts egos in check. Was deftly dribbling past a guard the right move versus crossing to a teammate sprinting towards the goal? Which player’s position was the best to take the shot? Did overcommitting to offense leave your team’s goalkeeper out to dry?
Those questions are also exacerbated by a ball that’s not interested in standing still – outside of weird glitches where it temporarily locks in place. Perhaps the most popular critique by players early on (myself included) is the passing; and though I still have some quibbles with it, Sloclap’s design ethos makes sense in demanding players learn lighter and harder kicks. There’s also the skill ceiling of simply maintaining possession or properly shooting the ball as well.
Although it’s a rather… static way of extolling these dynamics, breaking down Rematch’s other nuances into bullet points feels appropriate:
The goalkeeper position is always swappable. Simply have the starting defender leave the keeper’s box and whoever’s the first to go back in automatically assumes that role.
With no penalties, anyone’s allowed to slide tackle through a player (even from behind) to disrupt possession. This is ultimately useless for anyone without the ball, as you’ll just automatically miss them.
There are two separate stamina gauges to manage: standard and double-time. Double-timing while controlling the ball becomes more unwieldy.
And a dual-tier shooting system where you aim in the general direction (shown via UI) with right stick and then influence directional spin with left stick.
There are other small tweaks, of course, but the above represent the most significant ones for understanding the field rules.
Astute footballers can immediately grasp the dynamism baked into Sloclap’s philosophy. From the ball’s slipperiness to aforementioned nuances, Rematch is at its best when both teams continually segue between offense and defense. Controlled chaos, so to speak. But within the consistent slip-ups across both sides you’re learning just a little bit more about positioning, stamina management, and so on, until you finally execute on a plan that looks lifted from a trailer. To pull such a feat off with a few other individuals captures a unique high that’s rarely matched by EA or Konami’s behemoths.
Of course, ascending such levels of comradery and communication in the online arena is a tricky gambit. Whether solo queuing or with friends, it’s always tempting to show off or hog the ball. Cool as it might be to unleash your inner Cristiano Ronaldo, Sloclap only wants to numerically acknowledge tangible results: interruptions, saves, goals, and assists. Broken ankles and shots on goal mean jack shit here; still, it’s hard to resist that pull of being the center of attention – especially with such crisp & clean animations when outclassing opponents. By its very nature, Rocket League avoids that because ordinary players rarely get more than two consecutive touches with the ball.
Not every twist and turn hits with the same oomph though. Even after 20 hours, there’s still something off about a goalkeeper diving into goal with the ball and it still counting as a save; however, the goalie kicking while still inside the line counts as an automatic own goal. And even though the ball is meant to be slippery, there are times where the game’s systems don’t properly acknowledge you gaining possession – even when the UI says otherwise.
To continue beating a dead horse, Rocket League also comes to mind regarding this limited launch. It’s true the main entrée hits like pure heroin, but the paucity of secondary options is hard to ignore. Outside of the meager prologue, what’s (currently) on offer outside of standard & ranked competition are practice trials, customization options, battle pass tiers, and a limited cosmetic shop. To its credit, the breadth of appearance options – between skin color, eye color, attire combos, hairstyles, cadence, and more – is rather diverse. Outside of matching color schemes for both teams and shin guards, there’s no strict dress code; the audio design even sounds different between discalced and cleated players.
Even though content like different modes, cosmetics, and a dedicated offline option are en route, it’s not an easy sell for $30 – alongside Pro ($40) & Elite ($50) Editions. Consider that alongside purchasable currency (its biggest bundle costing more than the base game) and it’s fair to pose the question: why not start out as free-to-play? While such queries reveal chinks in Sloclap’s armor, virtually none of these paywall extras are very tempting, especially given the plethora of decent options available already.
Whatever tension there is in grading a middle-market live-service title based on modest launch content, Rematch makes that easy to forgive. In the same way Sloclap interrogated and implemented a nuanced personality within its action titles, the same has been accomplished with football. By challenging ingrained expectations with a foundation that harnesses the sport’s pure spirit and, well, it’s no surprise how often my friends and I would continually repeat the title’s namesake.
Contractor by trade and writer by hobby, Lee’s obnoxious criticisms have found a way to be featured across several gaming sites: N4G, VGChartz, Gaming Nexus, DarkStation, TechRaptor, and Cubed3! He started gaming in the mid-90s and has had the privilege in playing many games across a plethora of platforms. Reader warning: each click given to his articles only helps to inflate his Texas-sized ego. Proceed with caution.
Full Article – https://www.vgchartz.com/article/465246/rematch-xs/
