Rematch is the latest game from the Developer Sloclap and it’s not the kind of fighting game you’d expect after playing Sifu. It still feels like Sifu, but in the world of Rocket League. Some might even go as far as to say, it’s like Soccer. I’m American, but out of respect for the sport, we will call it Football in this review.

Goal!

This game is the the best way to experience being a Football player in a video game. You might already be familiar with the rules, but this game puts a fun spin on things. There are no offsides, no fouls, and no automatic actions. Small things like, the goalie being able to completely walk away from the net makes the game feel a little more loosey-goosey in comparison to the real sport. Now let’s talk yellow cards.

There are no yellow cards. You need to be incredibly aggressive to win this game. Tackle slides and stealing the ball can lead to completely knocking over your opponent. This leads to some pretty hectic groups of people piling on each other trying to steal the ball from one another. Yet another way that Rematch differs from Football, you can potentially have both teams in their entirety crowded up in one corner of the field. Trust me, I know from experience. (STAY BY THE NET GOALIE)

There are only four game modes at launch. 3V3, 4V4, 5V5, and Ranked 5V5 can be played once you hit level 5. More modes will come in future updates. Each game mode creates very different flow to the game. A lot of fans are clamoring for a 3V3 Ranked mode while people like myself prefer to play in 5V5 matches anyways. So Ranked 5V5 suits me well.

Outside of the main game modes there is Practice mode and a Prologue/Tutorial you can play. I spent roughly 3 hours in practice mode learning everything I needed to know about the game and getting comfortable with the controls. Let me be clear, you do not need to put in 3 hours like I did. I wanted to feel very comfortable with the complex controls before going out on the field. Plus it took me a little extra longer to get it done since I made this guide to help you learn what took me so long. Click HERE to view all the controls and advanced moves.

Gameplay

I’ve already told you how aggressive things can get on the field, so be warned, you will need the skills to come out of it on top. This game features a vast array of skills that you will need to get acquainted with in order to play. Honestly, its the best and worst things about the game. This isn’t a game you can just pick up and start kicking the ball. Its not as easily approachable as a FIFA game. But its not a FIFA game, its an intense up close to the action game that requires you to be precise with your kicks and know how to defend.

Sloclap has thought of every move you can possibly think of to use on the field. The default control settings are brilliant the more you become acquainted with them. With most of your defensive skills associated with the left triggers and offensive skills more associated with the right triggers.

I won’t go too in depth with how the controls work since that is all covered HERE. But to summarize what I mean by complex controls, you have 4 different controller mapping schematics that you need to learn in order to play offense, defense, be a goalie, and communicate with your team on the field. You will need to swap between these 4 controller mapping schemes on the fly during a match. Even in 5V5, you will need to play defense, midfield, and offense. There is no set positions so everyone just goes where they are needed.

When you go to shoot the ball, you can use your left joystick to aim the ball. By that I mean, as you charge your kick, you can curve the ball at a 360 angle in the direction you are aiming. This is just one small way the game allows you to go really in depth with your playstyle. I personally really like curving the ball at the goal, tricking the goalie in to thinking I am kicking the ball in to the right corner of the net. Plot twist, it curved to the left side.

I’ve seen a lot of other players walk the ball straight up to the goal and lob it over the goalie. Simply getting us a point with ease. From headers, to bicycle kicks, to precise aiming at the post, to slide tackling the ball into the goal, there are just so many tactics to getting a goal.

Playing as goalie is a lot of fun, but there is a lot of pressure that comes with it. Your teammates are judging you harshly. By that I mean, if you screw up, the assholes on your team will use the communication board to sarcastically say “Nice job!” when you fail to protect the net.

You have a lot of freedom as a goalie. You can go as far as to tackle the ball from your own teammates so you can pick it up off the ground. You can also leave the net at any time if you feel uncomfortable protecting the net and would rather be on offense.

I will say being the goalie is fairly simple though. Hold left trigger to guard, then press Y to jump in the air and catch a shot, B to slide, or simply hold still and you will automatically pick it up. The tough part is knowing how the opponent will approach the goal or aim at it.

Customization and Microtransactions

The game has a lot of great customization options. You can make multiple characters and swap between them after games. When you go in to customize the character you can add tattoos, jewelry, hair styles, beards, and most of the stuff you’ve come to expect when you can make your own character. Where the game excels in this department is the clothes and accessories.

When you start a match you can play as an away team or home team. You choose a color pallet of 3 colors for both in the character creation menu. After you choose your colors you can edit designs on your jersey, undershirts, pants, underpants, gloves, socks, hats, and even your shin guards. The only negative to this is your shin guards, socks, and shoes stay the same color for both away and home teams. So the colors might be a little mismatched if you try to go outside the box with your color scheme.

You can obtain in game currency by completing challenges and leveling up. Things are fairly priced, but the speed of obtaining the currency is so slow, it felt like I spent hours to unlock a hair style. As of right now there is only one challenge a day, so its a little more challenging to get rewarded for playing. Sloclap has plans to add more soon.

As for microtransactions, you can purchase gold coins that can be used to unlock the same items. There are special skins available for purchase only. The only one they have featured sits at $10USD. The other items like hairstyles, hate, etc, vary in price. They can be anywhere from $3-8USD.

Considering you don’t need to buy them, I feel its fair. The game is $30USD and is on Game Pass and Playstation Plus Extra, so it feels a little more reasonable that they have the option.

Graphics and Performance

Rematch is a beautiful game. The art style is a lot of fun and with interchangeable stadiums, it can look however you want! Rematch is a prime example of a game that can look great and not take a toll on your graphics card.

The game has gotten off to a bit of a rocky start with glitches and bugs. Most of which have already gotten patched or plans to get patched. I won’t go in to detail about every glitch I’ve encountered, simply because most are already fixed. However, there are still occurrences such as the ball passing through people, the ball being on one side of the map and the next second its on the other side, and sometimes the ball can even get stuck to the ground.

This game is so skill demanding and every split second counts. You need to be in a lobby with others who have good internet as well as yourself. Bad internet can equal a lost game. Outside of ranked, there are no penalties. So if you are playing casually, there isn’t really any reason to stress over this as you can just leave. But Ranked, you are stuck unless you are willing to take the loss.

For casual players this is bad. A player gets mad, has bad connection, or goes AFK, well then you are the one who pays. I was in a game of 5V5 and every single player rage quit 2 goals in. There was no players queued up to join nor are there NPC players to replace them.

This is where I really struggle with the game. The game is so competitive and so intense, that when you lose a game because of a quitter, AFK player, glitch, or a bug, it makes me want to put the game down for good. Granted, these are uncommon occurrences, but still frustrating enough to move on.

As to if its worth the price tag, as of right now its hard to say yes. The game needs more time. Sloclap is hard at work patching fixes, adding challenges, and game modes. So with a little more time, this game could be an absolute gem. However, keep in mind these games are available on Game Pass and Playstation Plus Extra. If you can download it, I highly recommend giving it a fair shot.

Final Thoughts

This game makes me fall in love with football and I’m simply not a sports person. Its fast paced action forces you to think fast on the field and really think deeply about your next button input. Its art style, vast customization options, and gameplay make this game one you won’t forget anytime soon. I sincerely hope we start to see other iterations of this game play style sports games from more developers. But due to a few flaws, the need for further polishing, and approachability, it makes me second guess recommending it to just anyone. I can however highly recommend picking this game up and testing the waters for yourself to see if its for you.

Thank you to Sloclap for supplying us with a review code. Rematch was reviewed on the Xbox Series X. Rematch is available on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.