I’ve been following Soccer Story since I’ve became aware of this game. I’ve always been interested in the melding genres when it comes to Sports and RPGs. These are two video game genres that I’m fond of and so far I liked the games that I’ve played with this mixture. Recently examples of games that I’ve enjoyed with these elements are Dodgeball Academia and Golf Story. So I was excited to see what Soccer Story would bring to the table.
So does Soccer Story stand out in the sports RPG genre? Is it a good Single Player Experience? Should you play Soccer Story?
Let’s dive into it.
The Narrative:
This game was made by PanicBarn and published by No More Robots. In this game, you play as Soccer’s story version of Kevin Bacon from the movie, Footloose.
Instead of dancing being banned, in this world Soccer is banned by an agency known as Soccer Inc. This is the result of an incident known as the Calamity. After the incident, Soccer Inc. closes access to every aspect of Soccer. So now it’s up to you to assemble a team, take down Soccer Inc. and bring back the glorious sport. Its narrative is ridiculous and leaves much to be desired, but it works well enough to set the tone. The writing in general leans more toward the wacky side of the pitch. For example, you see this with the weird dialogue with people around the town, the crazy side quests, and, the Footloose-like main plot. I did get some laughs at the dialogue here and there, but this tone and writing won’t appeal to everyone.
Art Style:
Something that is very appealing is the game’s artstyle. Visually you can’t help but to be reminded of the older Pokémon games when you look at this game, especially when you look at the in-game menu and the character’s sprites. The artsyle took me back to the glory days of training to take down a gym leader.
Gameplay:
The gameplay in Soccer Story is simple, yet fun. It is refreshing that even though you are “The chosen one”, you don’t have any special set of powers. No, you’re just a member of your team trying to win a quick 4 minute four versus four game of soccer. The game’s controls are basic since you are just limited to being able to run, shoot, slide/tackle and pass. This is honestly where the game shines. The quick matches are so engaging and fun. I wish that more time was spent on the pitch as opposed to interacting with the town and its people. The town is fun to explore and all, but I missed playing Soccer games. I wish there was more balance between the two aspects.
In some RPGs, the games revolve around the act of grinding to get stronger and thus better. In Soccer Story, you simply do quests and side quests to earn money and thus improve your team’s stats and skills. The skills that you can upgrade are your shooting, energy, speed, and strength. This helps if you want to 100 percent the game by doing side quests. Some can only be completed by upgrading these skills.
On the other hand, it’s nice that you can fully max out these aspects but you don’t honestly need to overcome the main story. If you upgrade a few times you should be able to mow down the main plot of the game.
Flaws:
Let’s talk about one of my main flaws with the game. The side quests get old very fast. The reason is that most of them feel like constant fetch quests. Which I understand is a staple of RPGs, but the games have to make you feel like you’re doing something worthwhile and meaningful without making it feel like chores. Soccer Story fails in this regard. For example in the first couple of hours of the game you’re sent to hunt down 5 carrots, overturn 5 or 6 trash cans, and break 6 boxes. Some of these were even main quests so you couldn’t even opt out of doing them. These types of quests happen often in the game and doesn’t feel like notable and fun content as opposed to bloat to make the game unnecessarily longer.
Overall/Should You Play Soccer Story:
So Should you play Soccer Story? Is it a good Single Player Experience?
The answer to both of those questions is yes, but only if you are a fan of sports games or fetch quest-based RPGs. If that’s not you then no I wouldn’t recommend this game. However, if you are the type of player that wants a retro-style RPG with some light sports elements then this one is a game that’s going to really score with you.
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