Tiny Football is the nostalgic “kick” of MicroProse under test

There are genres and forms of play that only make sense in the particular context in which they were born and enjoyed, and that can only be corrected in retrospect with an operation that specifically uses nostalgic reenactment. The problem is, in most cases, such commits aren’t very sharp, precisely because they’re based on a dubious assumption of consistency: essentially, why a competitor if there’s still the possibility of using the originals? That’s a little bit of doubt that got us stuck on this one Try Tiny FootballA game that clearly aims to recreate the classic football games of the early ’90s in modern times is now available in Early Access on Steam.

It has a history behind it and a brand that sounds great, so Micro Prosebut this too is a bizarre case of burial with no specific content from the past: The new company has almost nothing beyond the name, from the historical label founded by Sid Meier and Bill Stealey in 1982, in a kind of philosophical parallel with the game. we look inside

On the other hand, it seems that the basis of the mission imposed on the revived software house is really the recovery of obsolete game genres and genres, so perhaps we should not be surprised. Curiously, this is what Tiny Football looks like see all Sensibile Soccer and not the mythological MicroProse Soccer that was among the inspirations for Jon Hare’s great classic, but raises the idea a little bit about being confronted with a jumble of nostalgic memories and ill-constructed historical reenactments.

Ovary and its surroundings

Beyond the general considerations of the concept, Tiny Football instantly becomes fun thanks to an approach. game machine it proves once again that it is immortal regardless of the distinctions that can be made about whether a new project of this kind is needed. We should also consider that this is a game that has just entered Early Access, so it’s reasonable to expect content and game modes to be expanded in the near future along the path the developers have planned, so reviews are currently suspended until a trial at the most complete release. There aren’t many options available at the moment, and best of all, the possibility of online multiplayer is completely absent, which represents a significant gap in this type of product: it certainly falls within the old perspective of the project, but severely limits its potential.

In addition to friendship, we can try our hand various types of tournaments between national teams and club teams, some kind of World Cup and a Champions League, but it is clear that there is no image of formality or realism when compared to real competitions. Among the most important methods, we find the possibility of encountering even an entire season, although it is limited to an overhaul of the English Premier League. In short, there are a variety of gameplay possibilities, either single or offline multiplayer, but the contour is really cut to the bone as there is no possibility of team management beyond simple substitutions and the selection of formations and modules to adopt.

arcade football

As befits an arcade football game, Gameplay very intuitive and instantaneous, extremely fast and very different from the tactics we are used to seeing in modern simulations. This does not mean that it is easy or that matches are strewn with goals from both sides; extreme dynamism leads to constant changes in the front and good level of combat often makes matches very challenging. start to finish. The game system is derived from the legendary Sensible Soccer, which revolutionized soccer games in the early 90s, leading to a true legend, and is still played and supported by many fans through new unofficial releases and various mods. In fact, that’s exactly what represents a key element that undermines the feel of a project like Tiny Football: While an original is still perfectly enjoyable, it may not be worth committing to an emulator right now that also offers something less (missing) right now. all the administrative component here plus many options and game modes available elsewhere).

Tiny player graphics and large “bird’s eye” shooting are the main references to the Sensible Software classic, but some elements of the interface, and in particular control systemin particular, the fact that, as with the Amiga, it only relied on one button.

More or less prolonged pressure sets a different power for the shot/pass/cross, while the action of the control (or arrow keys) immediately after the shot allows you to give the ball an impact. However, the overall feel of the game varies, and this is perhaps what most characterizes Tiny Football for better or for worse.

Unlike in the classical reference, which requires more determined tackles to clear them from opponents, the ball almost always stays at the feet of the players through tackles approaching a lethal tackle and often not approved by the referee. Also in this case, passes become essential for trying to hold the ball, but their speed and the rather small size of the pitch make covering distances very fast and we often find ourselves in front of a fast end-to-end pinball machine. another stadium without the possibility of setting up too many justified actions. In short, in many ways it seems like an oversimplification, more than an imitation of a classic developed with a more modern vision.

Pixel nostalgia

From an aesthetic point of view, the work done by MicroProse is commendable and fully graphic style Pixelated 2D that will surely warm the hearts of those who lived through the 80’s and 90’s video game. Some notice more attention to detail, while others are deliberately more sketchy with a kind of archaic bitmap style, but the look is always captivating. However, from early access to full release there are probably a few bugs that will likely be fixed: for example, since it doesn’t detect the correct inputs (at least an Xbox Series X controller forcing you to use the keyboard), there should be no issues during movement in the field.

There is probably something to be noted on the refereeing side as well, which is a problematic element due to the game itself: when very hard fighting is the rule of thumb to face the opponent in practice, it becomes difficult to find the right yardstick. although there are some subtleties to the AI ​​that need attention, such as a fairly precise offside. Overall, amid the bugs with the menus and the general shortage of content, it’s clear that Tiny Football still needs to go through a certain amount of development to reach its full form.