When I first heard that Sloclap was making a soccer game after the incredible Sifu, I figured that it was going to be a waste of time and development costs. Well, at this point, after going hands-on with the game, I’m ready to eat those words. Soccer is one of those sports that I don’t have much of an attachment to. The addition of Ronaldo to City of the Wolves did nothing for me, besides wondering how SNK lost the plot so quickly. But after heading to the pitch to tackle some fools and score some goals, I understand the vision. Rematch has the juice, the style, the flair, and everything we need to see in the return of arcade-style sports games.
‘Rematch’ Is The Most ‘Rocket League’ Soccer Game I’ve Ever Played (Complimentary)
When I first started here, I wrote an entire article about how I yearned for the return of arcade sports games like NFL Street. And Rematch, unironically, may be the perfect first step for that to actually happen. Even just booting up Rematch and playing around in the lobby, I could feel the passion and love poured into every square inch of this project. Visually, it’s gorgeous, just like Sifu before it. Incredible animation work, alongside responsive controls and just enough of a learning curve to keep things interesting — no two matches of Rematch were anything alike. And I knew I had to get the squad involved in this, as my expectations were immediately blown out of the water.
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Partnering up with Ana, Matt, and Anthony, we hit the field together for a few different matches. Well, at least we tried to. The first few times we tried to connect, Anthony kept getting booted back to the main lobby screen. It’s a Beta. So, we knew to expect a few issues here and there. Especially since the game did mention we’d likely encounter network issues. But once we got into a game, things were much smoother. On the pitch, the gameplay is pure bliss. It’s poetry in motion, as they say. Rematch plays better than any other soccer game by a long shot.
Regardless of whether we were playing on a controller or with a keyboard and mouse, everything was smooth and responsive. Their work on Sifu is immediately on display here. And that’s the most complimentary thing I could ever say, as Sifu is a work of art.
Watching The Stadium Erupt During a Match was Exciting And Super Unique
Sports games tend to get redundant rather quickly. That’s one of the first things I took note of about Rematch; this feeling is nowhere to be found. Regardless if we were kicking ass and taking names, or our asses were getting the boot, every match was electrifying. Skills pay the bills here, and the competition was fierce as hell, even during 2v2 custom matches. Watching the stadium evolve before our eyes was fascinating, and an incredible touch to make every match feel new.
And while I know that I, alongside the Waypoint crew, am ready for the full game, a few things concern me. The price of entry, especially, is a point of concern. Honestly, I think that $29.99 is an extremely fair price. But in a world dominated by live-service beats, it’s hard to know if Rematch is going to have the impact it wants. It looks and plays incredibly. But I wonder if a Free-To-Play model would be more beneficial, especially when games like Rocket League are already F2P. There are premium currencies available in the game for cosmetics, so I also wonder how the community will react to that. Maybe a F2P option with a supporter package could be the best bet. It’s hard to say.
‘Rematch’ Is An Easy Score in My Books
But, at the end of the day, Rematch has incredible production value. And the folks at Sloclap deserve to get something for that. I already know that I’ll be buying a copy the day Rematch releases, as I’m completely sold on this idea. If we can get a Single-Player mode so I can relive those NFL Street memories, it’s a lock for Sports GOTY. I just hope it can build up enough of a fan base to stay healthy for a while. Because this is the pure fun we all need.