There’s no point in beating around the bush: Rematch reminds me of Rocket League and that’s no bad thing. From the clean futuristic visuals to the (carefully tuned) physics which mean you never quite have full control over what you’re doing, it’s hard to deny that there are similarities. Despite this though, Sloclap deserves a big round of applause for creating something that feels so unique.
I’ve no real fondness for IRL football, but in video game form I love it, and Rematch is unlike anything I’ve played before. By stripping everything back to just a few mechanics, Sloclap has created something that is simple to pick up, difficult to master, and completely original. If you’ve ever played a football game before then you’ve probably had occasions where, despite the “realism” touted, balls will magically stick to feet or veer into the goal when they shouldn’t. Rematch does away with all that. There are no magic magnets guiding your shots to goal or passes to your teammates’ feet. No, every time you kick the ball it’s all on you, and while the game will pop down handy guidelines to show you where to aim to play through to your teammates, you’re the one that needs to aim and determine the power.
Matches are played with teams of three, four, or five with the game helpfully explaining in the menu how each mode differs. 3v3, for example, is Rematch at its most basic and is a good opportunity for you to learn the fundamentals. These matches were great for getting my head around how the ball moves at your feet while dribbling as there’s plenty of space to play around in. You sprint faster without the ball so learning how to tactically kick it ahead of you while retaining control and staying away from opponents is essential.
5v5, on the other hand, is much more chaotic. Passing is essential as there’s not always enough space to make big runs, and it can be difficult keeping track of what’s going on. As the menu suggests though, it’s a great opportunity to work on your vision, and I found hanging back in a defensive role made it easier to see everything happening ahead of me.
Speaking of defensive roles, Sloclap has come up with a very clever way to handle goalkeeping too. The player in goal changes after a team scores, but there are no set positions here. If you don’t want to be in goal then just run out onto the pitch – you’ll ditch your gloves and lose your ability to grab the ball, while a teammate can run back to goal and automatically pick up where you left off. In a game where everyone wants to get up front it’s an elegant solution to encourage people to rotate around the field.
And make no mistake, people are desperate to get a shot in. During the beta I wasn’t just dealing with the opposition team but also had to contend with teammates who refused to pass or, in some instances, even tackled me because they wanted a go on the ball. I think your mileage is going to vary depending on how much of this nonsense you’ll tolerate or how often you’ll be playing with friends. It’s not enough to put me off wanting to play more, but it did have me raising an eyebrow a few times, especially when I was clean through on an empty goal and got the ball whipped out from under my feet by a teammate.
I can’t wait for Rematch to drop later this month. It’s a game you’re going to want to get stuck into so you can really get to grips with the mechanics and physics, but once you do you’ll be a veritable Mo Salah.
Rematch is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X on June 19th.
