Rematch is a gloriously fun and addictive competitive sports game that, with a few updates, looks set to become a rival to Rocket League, whether you’re a football (soccer) fan or not.
Arcade sports games are tough to get right, but when they’re done well, they’re hard to beat. For the last decade, Rocket League has sat at the top of the table with very little in the way of competition, thanks to its genius blend of football and suped-up cars.
But if you prefer boots on the ground and have been yearning for a game that leans more heavily into the beautiful game, then Rematch has everything you’re looking for.
There’s still some work to be done to see it live up to its potential, but even in its fairly bare launch state, Slopclap already have a hit on their hands.
Rematch screenshots
What is Rematch?
Rematch is a PvP football game that puts you in the shoes of one member of a three, four, or five-person team. The matches are six minutes long, and while you control one player, you don’t have a fixed position.
In that way, it recreates the joy of 5-a-side as you can be defending one second before going up front and banging in a worldie. You can even become the goalkeeper by being the first or only teammate in the penalty area.
Instant impact
The controls feel a little alien when you first drop into Rematch, especially if you’re trying to shake off years of EA FC muscle memory. But after just a couple of matches, the initially finicky dribbling and shooting become comfortable and refreshingly simple, like bedding in a new pair of Adidas F50s.
Just like Rocket League, the limited number of actual options and inputs gives it a pick-up-and-play quality, but like any game that wants to thrive in this space, these easy tricks soon give way to flashier and more difficult combos that make you feel like prime Messi when it all comes together and you rip one into the top corner.
Figuring out creative ways to use these limited tools to unlock tough defenses is constantly satisfying, whether you’re pinging a cross off the backboard to set up a tap in, or using a well-timed “Extra Effort” – a blistering run triggered with a double-tap of sprint – to blitz past defenders at the right moment.
While your first few games will likely descend into chaos as the entire team chases the ball like headless chickens, you soon realize how much communication is needed to succeed, especially in the more competitive Ranked mode.
Ideally played with a group of friends using mics, the best teams are the ones who organize themselves into more defined positions. For example, I mostly thrived as a bruising defender, winning the ball back with well-timed tackles and sending passes upfield for my more technically gifted teammates to score.
Thankfully, passes, tackles, and saves earn points on the leaderboard too, as well as just goals and assists, so you’re actively encouraged to work together rather than just goalhanging.
It’s nothing groundbreaking if you’re familiar with Psyonix’s rocket-fuelled football, but it’s an absolute blast to play. I’ve already found myself muttering those infamous words, “one more game,” after a devastating last-minute loss. Five hours later, you’re still there, still suffering the pain of losing but also the joy of victory.
A few tweaks to the system
In its launch state, Rematch delivers the all-out carnage you want from arcade football, and it’s easy to watch your entire evening vanish, but it could become something truly special with a few small tweaks and additions.
Most of these are simple quality of life updates, such as an option to pre-determine your starting position at kick-off or after a goal. At the moment, it rotates every time play restarts, which can be frustrating when your team’s designated goalkeeper is stuck out on the left wing, meaning everyone has to quickly scramble into place.
It also feels like an oversight not to include some kind of ping system, alongside the basic callouts included currently. It’s fine if you have a full team using their mics, but not being able to tag unmarked opponents or show exactly where you want the ball to be played can turn matches with randoms into a bit of a guessing game, where all you can do is hope that everyone is on the same wavelength.
Another gripe is that the cosmetic rewards you unlock for playing just aren’t enticing enough. Although there’s a wealth of shirts, shorts, boots, and even prosthetic limbs to grab with in-game currency or real money, the offerings so far are relatively boring.
This isn’t much of an issue now, as the core gameplay and personal pride of climbing the Ranked ladder are gripping enough on their own, but it needs to up the ante to keep players hooked long term.
Verdict
Rematch is a lot like the beautiful game itself: easy to pick up and understand, but it takes hours of effort on the training ground if you want to reach the elite levels. Its end-to-end matches are exhilarating from the first whistle to the last, full of punch-the-air moments and tense, tactical battles that get the blood pumping and palms sweating.
There are a few obvious features needed to make matches smoother, and the uninspiring rewards aren’t always worth the effort, but I fully expect most, if not all of them, to be addressed down the road.
Rematch has the juice to be the next big multiplayer phenomenon, and the game you’ll be screaming at your friends in for years to come. Move over Rocket League – this is the arcade football game we’ve been waiting for.
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