You know the song that goes “I don’t like cricket, oh no, I love it”? That’s me, but with football. And by football, my American friends, I mean soccer. And if your answer to that question was ‘no’, then I don’t know what to tell you. Listen to more ’70s reggae. It’s called Dreadlock Holiday. Anyway. This all means I was very excited by the reveal of Rematch at The Game Awards.
Prior to the show, Sloclap had teased it would be involved in some way. Many believed this would be Sifu 2 (especially given in opened, as Sifu’s levels did, with a shot of a man bun silhouette in a hallway), or at least something that followed the action-combat spirit of the fiendishly difficult fighter. Instead, we got Rematch. It’s a football game, but it’s unlike anything else out there right now. A less anime-Captain Tsubasa, maybe, or a modern Sega Soccer Slam. Except it’s not really those either. And I’m not sure how I feel about it.
Online Only Isn’t A Dealbreaker… Yet
The best way to describe Rematch is that it’s Rocket League without the cars. That sounds very stupid, as Rocket League’s whole deal is that it’s football with cars. However, there are some distinctly Rocket League elements to Rematch. Firstly, you play as an individual player in an online match, not as a team. There’s also a low camera angle, focusing on your avatar specifically rather than a tactical overview of the game itself, and the game is no holds barred rather than even a more arcade-style recreation of the beautiful game.
There was no mention of offline play in the trailer, and the Steam description similarly dodges the question. I would assume there’s no solo game mode at all, no campaign, and probably no characters (but rather, skins). That is a bit of a let down. I would much rather play 2025’s answer to Sega Soccer Slam than Rocket League Without Cars, but there’s still a lot to love about Rematch.
As a Newcastle United fan, I am also used to being let down when it comes to getting my hopes up for football.
The art style is very cool, similar to but distinct from Sifu itself, and the glimpse we saw of the project’s creativity was intriguing too. The game initially took place in a cartoonised version of a football stadium, but this transformed into a lush jungle mid-trailer after a goal was scored by one of the teams. Importantly, it left the pitch alone, meaning it has not over complicated matters. The player designs, kits, and badges seemed a little pedestrian, but for a first trailer I would give the benefit of the doubt for things like that.
There are quite a few tells in the trailer that a true love of football is bleeding into Rematch. Football is the best sport on earth because it is the simplest, and that can mean people see it as easy to gamify, but struggle to do so effectively. Infinity Nikki has not one, but two footballing minigames (three if you count the wooden pinball aiming game), but these do not seem like they were crafted by people to whom the names Laurent Robert, Paul Scharner, or Jay-Jay Okocha mean anything.
But in Rematch, there is a visual language. The goal celebration is not a goofy dance, but pointing at a teammate straight armed, then launching into a high ten. Players dribble correctly, with instep and outstep. When the keeper launches the ball forward, there is a touch of Jordan Pickford about it. You can imagine him berating his back four for an issue entirely of his own making then winking at the camera. The way players run, jockey, tackle, and even perform skill moves like roulettes or samba flicks have a touch of authenticity about them.
This is what will carry Rematch through. The jury will remain out on whether it is truly for me until I get my hands on it at an unspecified date in the future. But I have seen enough actual football in the trailer to convince me that it can have legs. Knowing the sport will make it easier for Sloclap to choose which parts to gamify, which to leave alone, and which to remove for a cohesive experience. Rocket League works because of the carnage and excellent physics at play, but Rematch needs speed and authenticity. It seems to have both, and that should be good enough.