Football, Tactics & Glory (2018)

Normally when I review a game on Grouvee, I’ve completed the game, moved it from playing to played, and deleted it off of the device I played it on. If I followed that pattern with Creoteam’s little masterpiece, I would never review it and others would never know how awesome I think this game is. I can’t see any reason to stop playing this game ever. So I figure when I managed to take a team from the Republic of Ireland amateur league to win the Champions League in 19 seasons (try doing that in Football Manager!!), I would declare it ‘played’ and review it.

It describes itself as XCOM meets Football Manager. I would say that’s slightly ambitious. Into the Breach meets Football Manager is maybe a better analogy. The small battlefield of ItB matches the pitch of FTG, where the 12x7 grid provides all areas players can move in. And there isn't anything like stealth so the whole grid is visible at all times (again, in the vein of ItB).

This isn’t a game that tries to simulate realism in the way Football Manager or Out of the Park Baseball do. Instead, it creates a framework where players’ positions and skills allow them to move around the field in alternating three turn rounds. Four basic attributes (shooting accuracy, passing, defense, and control) determine most of the actions. Offensive and defensive skills, matched against the opponent's mirror skills, allow for extra turns in a round. While formation matters, players’ skills are really what determine victory.

Club growth, player skills and attribute building are really where the game shines. Do you want to invest in developing great young players or identifying the best transfers? Designing a team of players whose skills complement each other was a great experience. I decided to go with a team that focused on developing young talent that eventually became a powerhouse. The few big transfers I carried out helped solidify the team that upset Barcelona in the Champions League Final.

This game might only appeal to a specific niche of players. It’s not sports enough to appeal to fans of traditional sports games. It doesn’t exactly break new ground in the management sim or tactics side of gaming, either. Still, if you enjoy soccer/football and you enjoy turn-based tactical games, this game can be a ton of fun.

Lastly, with the developers being Ukrainian, I can only hope they're safe today.