A hail mary that tries to string the needle between Tecmo Bowl and Madden and falls in need of the aim line.
I’ve been so starved for transportable Madden that I put an excessive amount of time into the PC model that continually crashes and runs like rubbish on Steam Deck final 12 months. I exist as an entity on the prowl for a meal that satisfies my male want to name performs dotted with Xs and Os. I crave the arcane feeling of simulating a whole season of soccer simply to see the numbers go up and down on my digital military. So once I heard Legend Bowl – a retro-looking soccer recreation headed up by an ex-Madden developer – was coming to Swap, I obtained very excited. Sadly, that pleasure dimmed the extra I performed, even when the muse reveals promise for future seasons.
Whereas Legend Bowl would possibly initially conjure up emotions of Tecmo Bowl, the precise really feel and gameplay is nearer to Madden, particularly the previous ‘90s 2D type. You will have a full playbook with quite a lot of performs because the digicam is behind the quarterback from an aerial vantage level. The controls took somewhat little bit of getting used to however positively felt acquainted to me as a Madden veteran. This was all very promising as I queued up my first play. Then I snapped the ball and the sport moved like molasses by default. It felt like each participant with the ball had the velocity of B.J. Raji (or William “the Fridge” Perry if you need a non-Wisconsin reference). Runs of a yard or two took eons. Breaking free in open house made each 10 yards you ran really feel like an eternity. Fortunately, there’s an choice to tweak the sport velocity, however even with a quicker tempo, this can be a recreation designed with slower intent in thoughts. It is a bandage (a patch, if you’ll) and never a full salve.
Legend Bowl is a recreation that appears prefer it must be an arcade sports activities hit, however it tries too arduous to lean on the simulation facet whereas shedding sight of arcade immediacy. My makes an attempt at multiplayer with pals fell flat, with a few of the largest points coming from the tempo and the finicky nature of passing the ball. A toggleable move help possibility helps so much, however the default makes throwing the ol’ pigskin successfully lean an excessive amount of on precision. In a soccer recreation I don’t have to be reminded of how troublesome it’s to play quarterback (I can simply watch that recreation the place the Broncos performed a backup huge receiver at QB for that); I need to really feel like I might be an All-Professional, particularly when taking part in with pals. This recreation didn’t have the endurance loads of current profitable arcade sports activities video games have had, which is essential because it lacks on-line play.
Other than the moment-to-moment gameplay, the depth of the franchise mode is spectacular. As I mentioned on the prime, I’m a sucker for seeing the talent numbers of my group go up and down throughout a sports activities season. The 32-team league and 17-game schedule that comically apes the true NFL is engrossing in a means that Madden has slowly gotten away from prior to now few years. The franchise mode, in addition to the event mode and different choices, add a excessive diploma of customization to Legend Bowl that’s welcome. I simply want I appreciated taking part in the precise recreation greater than I do.
The construction in place right here is encouraging although and I hope Legend Bowl has a future because the soccer online game panorama is dire, particularly on Swap. Refining the gameplay or deepening gameplay choices and tutorials might go a good distance into making this an arcade basic. To bake in a related sports activities metaphor, this recreation is like the primary season after shifting on from a franchise legend. You could possibly wind up with a shedding first season however find yourself with a first-ballot Corridor of Famer when their profession is over. Or this might transform a bust and get the top coach fired. Solely time will inform as a result of there’s a lotta ballgame left.
