59.7 hours played
Written 16 days ago
I see a lot of subjective opinions in the reviews, both good and bad. Let's address some things, to make sure you get a relatively clear view on the game.
[h3] Negative reviews [/h3]
The negative comments suggest, that it's a very buggy mess - and it is (for now), but a lot of issues have been fixed, and they've been getting fixed pretty fast for a title this popular. This is even prior to the release. I don't think those negative reviews do the game any justice.
I've seen a few people talk about how the movement "sucks." And what I'll say, is that it's somewhat primitive compared to other football games. But out of the box, you get pretty much all you need for an enjoyable game. The way that it works, is mostly constructed on team play and strategy; you'll find that, when queuing by yourself, people tend to play in a very ego-centric way. These are usually the same people who are complaining about the movement tech. -- But yes, it is *very* simple. Consisting of passing and lobbing, shooting with curls, dribbling and sprinting -- and a few goalkeeper moves. Personally, I think the simplicity makes it a much better game, lest you'd have to learn a lot of unnecessarily complex moves.
This is, generally speaking, a game for most people -- the comments that talk about disliking or disassociating with football, whilst liking this game in particular should speak volumes, because it *is* a fun, team based game.
Albeit the rules are a little different to that of real football. Some interactions, like goalie handling the ball slightly outside of the penalty area during a slide is intentional. And whilst handling, he can't walk into his own net, unless he lets go of the ball, etc. No offside rules, no free kicks, penalties, cards, halfs or legs, etc. -- Those are secondary ideas, that could be considered in the future.
[h3] Comparisons [/h3]
If you've played FIFA Street (2012), it's kind of like that, where you play as individual players. Or Rocket League (2015), where it's one continuous, uninterrupted game of football, except with humans, and no explosions.
If you've played FPS and/ or MOBA games, the strategy-team based gameplay is definitely there. Not communicating with your team mates yields a worse game and experience overall. And speaking of FPS and MOBA, there are no "special abilities" based on distinct characters. It's a little closer to that of Counter Strike, where everyone has the same "abilities," and it's more about the skill of the player, than it is the character. I understand that this might not be for everyone -- but it's the closest comparison I can make in this regard.
Currently, there are three "casual" game modes. 3v3, 4v4 and 5v5. And a single, "competitive" 5v5 game mode. The first and/ or only person in your penalty field is the goalie, and your team can change goalie at any time.
[h3] Caveats [/h3]
Right now, outside of the bugs, I think there's an issue with the community. Like all multiplayer games, you're probably going to meet some fatherless angsty teen, saying all the profanity and slurs in the dictionary. In the worst case scenario, you can have a full team of toxic players, who care very little about the team play, and more about just styling on the opponents and scoring by themselves. -- It's a much better game with good team communication. That isn't to say, that there aren't nice people. In fact, they're not exactly hard to come by - but that could be the case, as the game grows larger. Just make sure to have a team.
For a "full release," there are some justifications for some of the negative comments. It definitely feels unfinished in a few places - minor things, like how in "Practice," there is no "retry" button. And so, you have to go through two loading screens to get another shot at whatever you were practicing.
But also some major things, like how, when playing the game, there could be several visual bugs or lag spikes to and from the servers (Sloclap have addressed this themselves, and they are currently working on a few patches by the looks of things).
[h3] Final notes [/h3]
It might seem like I've cast a bad light, but these are things that must be addressed and considered when buying the game. I'll shed a little bit of my personal opinion: Let it be known, that it is, in fact, a very fun, fast-paced, team based game. By far one of the most interesting titles to come out in the past few years, when it comes to team-based games.
[h3] Sidenote and insight [/h3]
A bit of a rant from my end, but here goes.
There was this huge bump in team-based horror games; and most of the big ones, like Lethal Company (2023) and R.E.P.O. (2025), in my opinion, were essentially chore simulators when you've figured out the scare-factor. Even when they aren't horror, like Schedule I (2025, although that game isn't "finished" either, so it might not be a fair comparison) they've felt like repetitive chore simulators after a few hours. By contrast, this is almost never the case for REMATCH, due to the fast-paced nature, with the exception of being a goalie sometimes. This is definitely, in the field of team-based video games, one of my personal favorite newcomers. And I think said newcomers should be welcomed with open arms, to encourage a more connected team-based, fast-paced atmosphere. Welcome to REMATCH.