This is a game unlike anything I have played before. When reading the title Football, Tactics & Glory, or Soccer, Tactics & Glory as it is (wrongly) named in other regions you expect to either find a football sim, or a management game. Instead what we have here is the combination of an RPG and a turn based strategy game. While this may not be something you would expect, on this occasion, opposites attract.
As I said gameplay in-match is turn based. You get three plays before agency is turned over to your opponent to do the same. Each turn consists of a moving a player, passing, taking a shot, tackling a player or shielding the ball. This allows the game to feel very tactical while also moving at a decent enough pace to keep all parties entertained.
Each player has four stats; accuracy, passing, defence and control. When performing an action the game takes the players stat in that department and rolls a number between 1 and whatever that number is. The higher a number you ‘roll’ the more chance of success in whatever the given action is. While this does introduce some luck into the equation, the skill comes from getting your players in the best possible position to succeed.
The game doesn’t just consist of what happens on the pitch either. You are the manager of the club and therefore will be training your players to improve their stats, buying and selling players, improving your training facilities and stadium capacity to bring more money in. I appreciated the Football Manager light systems here and it allowed you to invest in your team more.
Developed by small studio Creoteam, it should be no surprise that the game lacks any sort of official licensing. Instead you choose which country you would like your game to be based in, then you can play as one of the stock teams or create your own. Personally I would recommend creating a team, kits etc to personalise you’re experience.
I liked the art style employed in Football, Tactics and Glory. It would have been easy for the developers to treat this as an afterthought given the board game nature of the gameplay, but while there isn’t much variation having only one animation for each action, they are fluid and crisp which makes it fun to watch the match unfold before you.
The game comes packing a platinum trophy, but you will have to grind to get it. There are plenty of gameplay related requirements from scoring five goals in various unique ways and scoring a penalty to management milestones such as selling a player for over a million dollars and buying one for over five million. The grind comes from having to win all the various tournaments.
Football, Tactics and Glory is a fun game, but a niche concept. If you love football and turn based combat with a sprinkling of management, you’re going to love this game. Unfortunately the steep £34.99 barrier to entry will stop many from sampling it. If the cost doesn’t put you off or you wait for a sale though and like me you love football but have very little experience with turn based gameplay I do suggest checking it out. It may just surprise you.
-VDZE
A review code for this product was kindly provided by the publisher. Reviewed on PS4 Pro.