When the SlockLap studio, known for its brutally honed hand -to -hand action movie Sifu, announced the transition to the football arcade, this caused feelings that borders on fear and curiosity. How do developers, obsessed with deep mechanics and personal skill, apply their signature approach to genre so far from martial arts? The project called Rematch from the very beginning was not positioned as another simulator, but as something completely new – a challenge to established ideas about team sport. After spending enough time on his virtual fields, we are ready to answer whether Sloclap managed to score a goal or they missed the gate.
From the first matches, Rematch flips the usual idea of football games. Forget about switching between players: here you are constantly managing one single football player with a third -person view. This completely changes the approach to tactics and personal responsibility. There is no rigidly fixed positions – everyone is free to move around the field as he likes, participating in attack and defense. Thus, Rematch perfectly recreates the atmosphere of yard football from school physical education lessons, where two teams randomly fight for the ball, trying to score it into the opponent’s goal.
This unprecedented freedom dictates uncompromising personal responsibility. Made a mistake? They rushed into unjustified pressure and left the zone open? It will not work to fix this with an instant switch to another player. Your action or inaction has direct and often critical consequences for the entire team, and the lack of pauses in the form of fouls and outs only enhances this effect, requiring total concentration. The gameplay is built on several key mechanics, which at first glance seem to be deceptively simple, but behind them a huge depth is hidden, the achievement of which takes tens of hours.
A conventional blow is charged over time, but quite quickly – the longer to pinch the button, the stronger the ball will fly. At this moment, the player is vulnerable to the search for free space for a successful shot. The ability to twist the ball during the barn adds tactical variability, giving a chance to bypass the walls or goalkeeper. A quick pass allows you to give lightning -fast transfers in any direction around you, becoming the basis for building combinations and maintaining the possession of the ball. Its effectiveness directly depends on the playing of the team and the ability of the players to open under the program.
An interesting tactical element is the mechanics of the ball. It allows you to throw the ball forward, temporarily losing full control, but getting invulnerability to the selection in return. Also, an important mechanics connecting everything together is a game from the summer, which makes it possible to strike or give passes without processing the ball in advance. This significantly accelerates the game and opens up opportunities for spectacular heads – from a hit with a head after a canopy to a shot in one touch. The development of this mechanics is becoming one of the main steps on the way from a beginner to an experienced player. Of course, there are several more important chips, but I will leave them for the creators of guides.
At first, mechanics are felt difficult and inconvenient. Passes do not go straight, it does not work to beat the opponent, and goals are difficult to give. But gradually, as the fingers adapt to control, and the brain builds a connection between the keystrokes of the keys and the result, the gameplay becomes incredibly exciting. Nevertheless, from time to time, the situation from the category of “well, I pressed”, when it seemed to have done it correctly, but the result was completely different. For example, playing for the goalkeeper, the ball almost flies through the hands (when in other situations they seem to be primagnetized to the ball). This is very annoying, giving a feeling of dishonesty of the game.
The format of matches from “3 to 3” to “5 to 5” additionally emphasizes the importance of command interaction. It is difficult to succeed here, relying exclusively on your individual actions. Players do not choose positions before the match, and the roles change after each goal. At the same time, no one prevents the goalkeeper from running to the center of the field, giving way to the ally. However, to be honest, the “5 to 5” mode seemed to me too chaotic and not so funny due to the frequent large accumulation of people in one place. In my opinion, it is more suitable for those who just want to gather a five of them with friends.
It should be clearly understood that Rematch is, first of all, a multiplayer game, and all its essence is revealed in a competition with other people. Single content here, unfortunately, is limited by training modes. They, of course, are useful for honing individual mechanics, but the opportunity to play a full -fledged match against bots would clearly not hurt, especially in the initial stages.
The monetization model looks fairly fair. The game is sold for 1399 rubles, and the domestic store offers exclusively cosmetic objects. The combat pass, on the one hand, is implemented very friendly: with full passage, he returns all the premium vaulting spent on it, which can be invested in the purchase of the next. However, this system has an unobvious side. The pass is divided into three chapters, opening monthly. This means that even the most active players cannot advance beyond the current chapter before the beginning of the next month, which can be perceived as an artificial slowdown in progress. In general, it is difficult to scold a business model, especially when compared with the FC (former FIFA) from Electronic Arts, where Lutboxes with obvious Pay-to-Win elements are present.
SlockLap managed to create a project that is noticeably standing out against the background of traditional football simulators. Despite the roughness in the form of sometimes unpredictable game situations and the overloaded mode “5 to 5”, Rematch is felt really fascinating, offering a fresh and exciting look at team sport. However, it is recommended to play strictly with friends, so to get the best impressions you will have to find at least a couple of familiar players.
