A Lean, Mean, Soccer Machine
Sloclap yes, the same studio that turned every Sifu death into a soul-crushing lesson now brings us Rematch, a multiplayer soccer game that trades martial arts finesse for footsie-fueled mayhem. I know, with a title like Rematch, you would be forgiven if you thought this was going to be a fighting game; I mean that’s been what developer Slocap has done. And yet, somehow, this soccer game is fun for fans of the game; I am not but the game is good at what it does.
This isn’t your average soccer sim. There are no licensed teams, no billion-dollar stadiums, and not a single EA executive in sight. Instead, Rematch distills the beautiful game down to its purest, most chaotic elements: players, a ball, a time limit, and your sanity slowly unraveling as a player named “ToeFury87” hogs the ball and misses his 4th shot in a row instead of passing.
MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
Each match is a tight six-minute duel between small teams: 3v3, 4v4, or 5v5. No AI teammates. No substitution menus. No offside calls to save you. Just you, your real teammates (who may or may not be reliable including myself), and a futuristic arena with the ambiance of a neon-lit nightclub. The controls are refreshingly simple: pass, shoot, sprint, tackle, and a turbo boost that gives players an extra bump of speed to close the gap. But like all Sloclap titles, execution is everything. Positioning matters. Angle matters. Timing? Oh, that absolutely matters. There is no goalkeeper in Rematch, that job falls to whoever is closest to the goal when things go wrong which is always. Players will be able to dive for dramatic saves and lob passes down the field with relative ease.
Visually, Rematch is stylized but clean. Arenas are futuristic, slick, and just diverse enough to keep things interesting without overwhelming your senses. There’s a certain flair to each environment, like you’re playing in the future of street soccer, but everyone has a sponsorship deal with LED light strips. The soundtrack? Pulse-pounding electronic beats that keep your heart rate up. It’s really all just background noise until the final minute of a tied game; then it becomes the anthem to your downfall or the theme song to your crowning glory. But one thing that I loved about the presentation in Rematch: No annoying commentary. No blaring advertisements. Just you, the ball, and the occasional grunting of players clashing mid-dribble.
With all that said though what’s the real problem with Rematch? Well for starters; at launch, Rematch lacks crossplay. Which means your PC buddy and your PS5 buddy can’t team up just yet unless one of you caves and buys a new system. Sloclap says it’s coming, and given their rapid hotfixes and updates, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. For now. However, what can’t be forgiven as easily is the fact that offline play is barebones. There’s a practice mode, but no bots to scrimmage against unless you count the ghosts of your former confidence. There are some trials that will help to sharpen players’ skills in various areas. Ranked and quick play are both online-only, and while matches load fast, losing fast feels even faster. Even with its cheaper price tag, I foresee the online-only approach being the biggest penalty thrown against Rematch.
There is some progression, but it’s mostly cosmetic for now. Expect seasonal events, player cosmetics, and arena variants, but no XP system or power boosts. That means wins are earned, not bought. Which is refreshing, until you lose five games in a row and wish there was a pay-to-win option.
Rematch is the kind of sports game that throws out the fluff and dares you to bring the skill. It doesn’t want to hold your hand. It wants to cross you up, score on you, and ask politely if you’d like a rematch. It’s not for everyone though, even with it being on Game Pass. There’s no single-player campaign, no casual local couch mode, and no elaborate progression system to dress up your player like a walking peacock. But what’s here is focused, fast, and infuriatingly fun. It’s soccer by way of the fighting game genre: twitchy, intense, and one mistake away from disaster. For me, someone who isn’t a soccer fan, I can appreciate what this game is doing but for fans of this form of football I know you will vibe with Rematch.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
