Bang Average Football – Play, Manage, Create

Fun little 10~20 hour game! Simple and fun gameplay loop. It can get surprisingly hard against top teams. You can change player names and looks so they look like your friends, which is quite nice. The story is short and cute. It has funny dialogue, mocking british football culture. It only takes a few minutes every now and then. My only complain is that I wish players had stamina, and that you could improve their stats, not only "You".

I disn't expect much here to be honest, but the Game truly suprised me! It's a very charming experience and also refreshing to have a Game that doesn't throw unneccesary Quests everywhere. My only critique is that the Protagonist Player grows a little bit too fast and that there is no way to train/upgrade your original squad. Would have loved to stay with the original guys and just upgrade them over time. I love all the customization options btw!

Now this is a cracking little game combining Commodore 64 era arcade football with a story mode. It's as 'indie' as it comes with basic graphics and gameplay, simple sounds and uncomplicated mechanics. But you do get invested in your team as they progress through the ranks to ultimate national champions. There's non-football sidequests, some Football Manager 'wheeling and dealing', and of course the actual football which isn't difficult until your try the hardest level and against the top teams, but it's a nice flashback to my youth. The story also pokes fun at the football subculture, with a little message about remembering the good things of whatever journey you are on. I'm not chasing the grinding achievements and I'll probably put the game to rest for now. But this is the Ted Lasso of garage football games (well, perhaps seasons 1 and 2) and that's meant to be a compliment. It's worth playing whether or not you follow football.