Rematch Reviews

The FC series, formerly known as FIFA, has reigned supreme in the realm of soccer/futbol video games for years now, with competitors moving to free-to-play or dying off entirely. Coming from an unlikely source, Sifu and Absolver developer Sloclap has entered the tournament with a new online-only third-person soccer game, Rematch.

When I was a kid, I played a lot of soccer (I would like to apologize to everyone else in the world; I am, regrettably, American). I was on a team, and we were good. Make the local paper good, mind; we weren’t going to go pro or anything, but I have very good memories of those years. I fell off of soccer eventually (something I deeply regret), but I never lost that love of the game. There’s something about the energy of it, the joy. The thwack of the ball, the feeling of outmaneuvering a defender for the perfect chance, the pass slipped beautifully between another guy’s legends, reading the shot as a goalie and making the save. Bodies moving through space and time, and a ball connecting them. The beauty of soccer is you can play it anywhere; I once saw a guy covered in sweat dribbling a ball down a street in the Bronx. Give somebody a soccer ball, and you’ve given them a world. You don’t need anything else. But it’s best with a team.

If you're in the mood for some solid multiplayer football, REMATCH is certainly a good effort that you'll be happy to attempt to master thanks to intricate controls, and the bite-sized sessions that throw the rule book away for the sake of fluidity and fun.

A clever and hugely enjoyable online team game, even at this early stage in its career -although it feels more like a rival to Rocket League than EA Sports FC.

Rematch takes a refreshing, skill-based approach to football games that can be just as frustrating as it is thrilling

Rematch evokes the nostalgic feelings of the glorious FIFA Street days by revitalizing arcade football with casual and ranked multiplayer modes that allow players to delve in. While the developer has future content planned for the game, the game is being marred by a myriad of technical issues that impact gameplay and server stability, but they are being proactive with patch updates that hopefully add that luster before the season ends.

When I first saw that Sifu developer Sloclap would be shifting gears to make a football game with Rematch, I would be lying if I didn't say I was a little disappointed. I like football and sports games well enough. I don't necessarily play EA Sports FC every year, but I've always liked hitting the pitch with my friends, and getting between the posts to make some killer saves, since my preferred position is playing goalie.

Rematch does a good job of providing a bite-sized arcade football experience that's backed by smooth performance and simple controls, making it easy to pick up and play. While its early access period brought matchmaking issues and a bit of lag to the table, SloClap has committed to resolving these issues in future updates. As it stands, Rematch is certainly worth a go, for both casual and veteran football fans.

Overall, Rematch is a user-friendly arcade soccer game that you can enjoy playing no matter if you're a fan of the sport or not. The basic controls are easy, the aiming might take a bit to master, and the animations are delightful to watch like how Sifu was.

Rematch is very close to being a real blinder. An online multiplayer football game in which every player controls an individual person on the pitch, it's a totally fresh take on the sport that takes more than a little inspiration from Rocket League, and the result is fantastic.

My time with Rematch was also plagued by a litany of other, slightly less severe bugs. In one match, one of our goals counted as the opposing team's. Several matches saw the ball start on the wrong side of the pitch following a goal. And a common issue was not being able to move after joining a match in progress. Of course, it's still early days for Rematch, and the bulk of these technical issues might have already been fixed before this review goes live. But it's important to state that these technical problems did impact the experience.

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As someone who has spent an inordinate amount of time playing football games, including FIFA, EA FC, PES, Championship Manager, Football Manager, and even the cult classic Red Card Football, I generally know what to expect from them. Enter Rematch, the new multiplayer football title from Sifu developer Sloclap, which looks to introduce a different way to play the beautiful game. This is a football game that does away with the pesky rules and demands patience and skill from the player.

Arcade sports games are tough to get right, but when they’re done well, they’re hard to beat. For the last decade, Rocket League has sat at the top of the table with very little in the way of competition, thanks to its genius blend of football and suped-up cars.

Rematch has great mechanics, but lacks the polish to make it shine on the biggest stages.

Despite the fact that the game looks the part and there is a lot of surface-level fun to be had with Rematch, the harsh truth is that the game feels far too rough around the edges to stand a chance of becoming an ESports stalwart, or even a middling multiplayer title for that matter. The game's performance feels akin to an alpha still in development, gameplay doesn't facilitate a high skill ceiling for players to strive for, there are a litany of glaring omissions in terms of basic UI, and there seems to be a geunine lack of understanding on the developer's part on what makes for a gripping and balanced live service framework. I thought for all the world that this game would be a championship contender, but as it turns out, it's just relegation fodder.

Rematch is an addictive blend of Rocket League and real football that's sure to prove a hit on Xbox Game Pass and beyond. The difficult controls might put some people off in the early hours, but its "just one more game" feel should keep most playing beyond the teething period - and that's when it really comes into its own. The developers have done a fantastic job with this one, and I can't wait to see how it evolves in the weeks, months and years to come.