REMATCH

Sloclap is best known for the existence of Sifu, a demanding beat 'em up that made quite a splash when it was released about three years ago. Having another beat 'em up in its repertoire, Absolver, the news that this time the French development studio decided to create a...football game, was almost unexpected. However, knowing that the people at Sloclap put a lot of emphasis on gameplay and rewarding the player's skills, we had no doubts that even in this new, different, step, the French would give their best shot. And so, Rematch was born.

What is Rematch? Some have described it as Rocket League with people, which sounds funny, as Rocket League is practically the one that replaced people with vehicles. But the description isn't so misleading, as in essence, Rematch is deeply influenced by Psyonix's successful PvP title, it just takes it into the (more familiar) world of football.

However, Rematch is not a simulation of real football, but an intense, arcade, variant of it that “erases” all of its theoretically non-entertaining rules. There are no fouls, penalties, offsides, throw-ins or corners, and the pitches are a 5vs5 level size, enclosed with an energy grid around their entire perimeter (just like in Rocket League). Being a fully competitive game, in Rematch we only control one player at a time, our own “avatar” (which we can “dress up” as we like - microtransactions say hello) and we are able to participate in 3vs3, 4vs4 and 5vs5 matches.

The matches last 6 minutes, which is a long enough time for the intensity of the matches, and depending on the mode you choose, you'll need a different approach to tactics. For example, in 3vs3 the goalkeeper will often have to play as a sweeper, while in 5vs5 maintaining your position becomes more important than in 3vs3.

Currently, there are no other modes (plus Ranked Matches, which only take place in 5vs5), but this is something that is expected to be fixed in the future. It's clear that there's going to be a lot of support from Sloclap, both with the addition of new modes and fixes to the core gameplay, which, while well underway, still needs some tweaks.

 The handling of our player is not particularly difficult, but it requires concentration on our part and is not “given away” with outside help and automatisms. The curve of the ball, dribbles, passes and shots are entirely up to us and the way we execute the moves. Therefore, no superior force will take the ball by the...hand to push it into the opposing goal, so those who have learned in FIFA-type situations should forget about them here.

Undoubtedly, the first thing we have to learn is the basic handling of the player (dribble, pass, shot), but also how to move in the pitch - the tutorial and the freeplay with the ball can help a lot with that, but obviously practicing the real-thing will make us masters. Remarkably, in each match, we don't have a specific position on the field, but whenever a team scores, we change roles. Therefore, we can even play as goalkeepers, a key position that can make a difference, for better or worse.

However, even so, the positions of the players in the field change dynamically, so the goalkeeper can, for example, take the ball and attack and someone else can enter the box and take his position, so that the goal is not left unattended. Communication and smooth cooperation between players is the primary element in winning and as can be seen, the experience of playing Rematch depends to a huge extent on your teammates.

Therefore, if you are playing with random players, it is common to get people who are not aware what an assist is, grumble at the slightest thing or even leave the game if they don't like the progression. You realize how hard it is to play with -1 player, especially in 3vs3 mode. Rematch doesn't help here, as there are some shortcomings in its matchmaking, resulting in not being able to put together the same group of players once we see that we understand each other. Maybe later this will be fixed, and the situation certainly improves dramatically if we decide to play with friends and acquaintances. Of course, a few friendships may be broken over a pass, but that's all part of the game...

As far as the “meat” goes, Rematch can be really, really fun. The chances follow one another, the heroic actions create fantastic replays, the sense of achievement when controlling the ball well or scoring is excellent, and there's even a mercy rule where if a team is leading by four goals, the match ends in favour of the team ahead. Nevertheless, some issues can be detected, such as sometimes the tackles are not so accurate, the ball is teleported (probably due to server ping) or some funny goals are scored as a consequence of some inability of the engine to perceive that we have deflected. Or the other way around, some “sure” goals being saved by...superman goalkeepers.

To be fair, these cases are few and far between and don't tarnish the image of the game, but if you're playing in Ranked, such “hiccups” can cost you a win. From my personal experience, if I wish something had been implemented a bit better it's the pass system, as I get the impression that it doesn't work with much accuracy, but someone will jump in and say “git-gud”, so I'll leave it aside.

Overall, if there's one thing Rematch is really missing, it's content, so in a way we'd say it's still in an Early Access status. However, in functional terms it's complete - graphics, sound and animation are all decent, so even in its current state, the game is still pretty remarkable, and for those looking for a well-made and challenging PvP game, with potential to get even better in the future, Rematch is a good choice.

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