Rematch Is Made for FIFA Haters (And Action Game Lovers)

As intense as soccer is to actually play in real life, its video game counterparts do not always elicit the same level of excitement. The bird’s-eye view camera angle is alienating and zaps the intensity that comes with physically dribbling the ball on the green. Fouls, throw-ins, and a large field can also suck up a lot of the momentum, which doesn’t quite work for a video game. Rematch is an arcadey soccer game that understands how jarring these aspects can be, streamlines them, and turns them into an incredible experience that has a much broader appeal than a typical FIFA or EA Sports FC game.

Rematch is a lot like Rocket League, but with people instead of cars. It’s a silly thing to point out because that just seems like it would turn back into soccer at that point, but it’s more of the focus on action that makes this comparison more apt. Rematch has no offsides, out-of-bounds, penalties, corner kicks, or anything else that would halt the flow. The field is smaller and the ball can bounce off the walls, so there’s no time for a Gatorade break. The timer is just six minutes, and there is no halftime to speak of. The keeper even dynamically switches to the person in the goal.

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Cutting out every bit of fat imaginable and distilling the sport to its essence does wonders for its approachability and turns it into more of a video game instead of a simulation, mostly for fans of the sport to yell at when their team isn’t playing in real life. It’s not not for EA Sports FC players — it is still soccer, after all — but it does seem designed to catch those who dislike those popular soccer games.

The camera angle and controls support this pivot into being more of a video gamey video game. The player gets a third-person view of their avatar, complete with a reticle in the center, both of which make the action more intimate and easy to connect with. It presents itself like a regular action-oriented video game, and the controls reinforce this juxtaposition, too. The ball goes where the crosshair is when passed or shot. The face buttons give players more minute control over the ball and, in turn, the means to master dribbling and juking, granted they put the time into it. Knowing when to pop the ball over a defender’s head and figuring out when to jump headfirst or slide into an opponent are crucial talents to learn when playing offense and defense, respectively, and makes every encounter a skill-based endeavor. 

It’s such a fresh approach and that perspective is something only a team from outside the sports world would have. Developer Sloclap’s Absolver and its masterpiece Sifu are typical brawlers with an emphasis on technicality and player control. Sloclap’s website notes the team has a passion for martial arts before explaining that its projects share key traits: “deep and challenging gameplay systems, a stylized art direction, and beautiful hand-crafted animations.”

Those strands of DNA are prevalent in Rematch and why it’s so invigorating. Like a tough boss fight in Sifu, Rematch challenges players to get better and gives them the controls to do so. Dribbling, passing, shooting, and playing goalie all have small quirks to learn, so the skill ceiling is high. But its intuitive controls and low skill floor make this journey of improvement a rewarding one.

Rematch’s mechanical core is solid enough to endure all the shortcomings of its other aspects. The mini-games are comprehensive and let players put their skills to the test in a more lenient environment, but there’s no way to quickly restart them or cycle to the next one. It also didn’t launch with cross-platform play, which is limiting and occasionally leads to long queue times. Not being able to practice on an empty field while queuing makes this even more painful. And while it doesn’t need a ton of live service hooks and shouldn’t devolve into a soccer-flavored casino, its obtuse unlock system and anemic daily challenge feature need some work.

Rematch’s launch trailer blasts a shot across the bow at EA Sports FC by showing an overhead shot of a soccer field and saying it’s time for a new perspective. It’s not a disrespectful statement, though; it’s just true. Rematch offers a unique angle on the sport by embracing the action game roots the developer is known for. “FIFU” was an affectionate portmanteau thrust upon the game after its debut trailer — a combination of the soccer association and the team’s previous game — but it has truly lived up to the nickname in the best way.