Finger Football

[h3]IN A WORD: [b]LACKING[/b][/h3] [h3]IN A NUTSHELL:[/h3] [table] [tr] [th][b]WHAT TO EXPECT:[/b][/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Indie made using Unity. Table-top football. Casual gameplay. Real-time with time limits. Several game modes. In-game currency unlocks teams & formations. Teams come with 3x stats. Likely asset flip. No micro-transactions. Single and multi-player. [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]STATUS:[/b][/td] [td]Looks fully released [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]FOR WHOM:[/b][/td] [td]Fans of a simplistic table-top football mobile port with casual play [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]BUGS, ISSUES & STABILITY:[/b][/td] [td]Tournaments can break if a one of the games is restarted and not completed at first attempt. With all remaining countries turning to the same default one (Argentina) [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]STEAM SUPPORTS:[/b][/td] [td]Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]ACHIEVEMENTS:[/b][/td] [td]A few simple ones for unlocking content. A few to grind for coins. The one that is supposed to give the game longevity is broken. All but one can be completed in around 2x hours [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]VALUE FOR MONEY:[/b][/td] [td]About the right price for the content included. Even then there are better games with better quality out there [/td] [/tr] [/table] [i]More info below....[/i] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2799963084 [h3]CONTENT:[/h3] Finger Football (FF) is an arcade game of turn-based football, played in real-time with limits to stop time-wasting. It has casual gameplay with only a very loose similarity to Subbuteo, a table-top game for hobbyists. There are five game modes to choose from with only one allowing hot-seat multiplayer. [table] [tr] [td][b]ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW[/b][/td] [/tr] ːmanaː There are 5x game modes: One player, two player (local), tournament, penalty shoot-out and a free-for-all mode. ːmanaː Choose from 35x international teams with individual attributes of: [shot] power, time [to shoot] and aim [accuracy]. ːmanaː Select from 5x starting formations. ːmanaː There are no microtransactions in the PC version, but currency must be earned to play most single player variants and to unlock a good portion of teams and most of the starting formations. ːmanaː Single player has five tournament types with varying degrees of entry fee, rewards and game time. ːmanaː As well as teams, local two player mode allows sides to choose day/night stadium and game duration. ːmanaː Penalty shootout against the AI lasts for five kicks only with the player alternating between shooting and goal-keeping. ːmanaː A free-for-all mode sees both sides forego taking turns and wind-up their shots to shoot as soon as possible. ːmanaː Matches consists of five large counters on each side. Played on a fairly small pitch taking turns to push the ball or other counters to get the ball in the opposition net. Counters can hit opposition counters or be positioned where required. ːmanaː All matches can currently be restarted if the end result isn't favourable. ːmanaː Apart from currency the only notable counter is the number of victories earned in during the lifetime of play. [/table] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2799963171 [h3]TAKEAWAYS:[/h3] The key takeaways were: [table] [tr] [td][b]THE GOOD:[/b][/td] [td] + Matches that end in defeat can replayed without penalty. Making the point of spending coins pointless. + With the tournament giving away in game coins for fun, the only really grindy achievements can be completed in a matter of a few games. + Half-decent Penalty mode & Crazy modes are the best of the bunch. With Crazy mode making for an interesting twist on core gameplay. + No micro-transactions are included or needed. [/td][/tr] [tr] [td][b]THE BAD:[/b][/td] [td]- Lacks sufficient depth to keep players attention. Enough to break the refund threshold if you are determined to complete the achievements. - There are no real differences between the countries despite the 3x stats. - AI makes strange decisions often leading to some incredibly bad own goals. - Tournaments are broken and after restarting they tend to screw up the teams that are playing. On one occasion even bypassing the need to play the final and awarding me the championship. <Reported but in forum.> - Components look attractive but are likely assets in nature. At least they give a polished feel. - Gameplay feels cramped with pitches that are too small and counters too large. [/td][/tr] [tr] [td][b]AND THE REST:[/b][/td] [td]* Only captures the vibe of table football on a very basic level. * Matches will end in a draw, until a few matches are played to understand tactics. * Possesses fair but casual gameplay lacking in many respects. Only limited tactical aspects capture the basic elements of fun from real finger football. * Apart from hitting the ball the only real considerations are positioning of players or moving opponent counters to favourable positions. * Penalty shoot-outs can be a mixed bag depending on the opponent AI. Some can't shoot for crap. I would have liked to have seen these go on until a winning kick. * Games tend to be very short affairs. Positioning is just as important as striking the ball. * Formations provide the mildest form of strategy. * Limiting turns to stop tactical time-wasting is a necessary mechanic. [/td][/tr][/table] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2799962754 [h3]FINDINGS:[/h3] Analysis from my time with the game: [table] [tr] [td][b]MY EXPERIENCE[/b][/td] [/tr][tr] [td]Despite its numerous game modes, core gameplay remains a very repetitive feature. A feat achieved by a combination of pitch size and counter size. Together they limit the any tactical essence there could have been making the game less about angles and trajectory than, but more about packing the area around the ball and waiting for the AI to make a mistake. Essentially it results in an experience of drawn out positioning producing one goal a game for many of the matches, if you are lucky. [/td][/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]IMMERSION[/b][/td] [td][b]QUALITY[/b][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]It may be an asset flip but at a basic level it does the job it needs to, to provide a necessary setting and platform to play the game. [/td] [td]Polished but only to a level to be expected from a mobile game. The major fault with tournaments shows there may be bugs lurking. [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]BALANCE & DIFFICULTY[/b][/td] [td][b]REPLAYABILITY & LONGEVITY[/b][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Gameplay is as casual as it comes with matches seemingly taking one of three routes to conclusion. Namely known beforehand depending on the countries involved. The difference between the best teams (all needing to be unlocked) and the basic starting ones is minimal but there. As is the case with the AI. [/td] [td]Matches are designed to be fairly short expect in two player. This results in a game that is made to be replayable if limited in experience. Something to be expected given its mobile origins. The only real longevity should comes from its achievements which unfortunately are not well balanced at all. Otherwise playing against a friend or relative when the urge rises, is the only other reason to keep playing this game. [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]MISCELLANEOUS[/b][/td] [/tr][tr] [td]I would speculate that if you have a friend to play with, two player mode would be its best feature. Its a shame it could not include more slots for more human players. [/td] [/tr] [/table] [h3]VERDICT:[/h3] FF appeals as a simple game but is limited and provides too generic an experience that falls short of a recommendation. It may not have micro-transactions but overall gameplay and an asset flip nature make it feel [b]LACKING[/b]. [quote=]Thank you for reading. | Follow my curator[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40556040-The-Irregular-Gamer/] here[/url].[/quote]