In December 2024, during the Game Award show, developer Sloclap shocked the world with their brand new reveal. For those who dont know, Sloclap is the developers behind the major indie game Sifu which took the world by the storm back in 2022. In 2024
they announced their latest project Rematch, which unlike Sifu was not combat base nor a fighting game as most assumed, instead it was a football simulation. The reveal was well received despite being labeled a Rocket League with actual humans. Working with Sloclap
was Kepler who would proceed to publish the game in 2025.
Prior to its official release, Rematch had three different Beta tests providing creators with limited access to the game. The first two close Betas allowed players to see what other selected people were experiencing through the amount of content produced. Plenty of these creators also provided feedback which
some was actually implemented in the future Betas whilst others were disregarded. The third and final Beta was a public one which allowed most users to download and play it for a couple of days. Rematch grew an audience which was eagerly waiting for the games full release. Before the release Sloclap announced that
an important feature CROSS PLAY will not be included with the games release. However they promised to commite themselves on bringing this feature as a free update when it is ready.
The game was released in June 2025 and the majority of players praised it whilst journalist had mix feelings siding more to the possitive. It was released for the Playstation, Xbox and PC. Soon after its release the game celebrated 3 Million player, a number that only rose since then. A month after, the team made a long
announcement stating that the team is working on fixing some of the minor issues of the game, they adressed some of the communitys feedback with reasonable answers and also mentioned the time window of the crsossplay feature.
From the very beginning of the game it was obvious that this was an online experience first and NOT a single player experience. From the tutorial/ intro scene we re being introduce to our STAR(the player that we will be making). Our character is trainning at a random field, practicing their shots but also their goalkeeping skills. We then see him playing on an official pitch with random teammates. Our chaaracter did a successfull solo drive that lead to a goal which also happened to be the offense that got him scanned by a random man from the audience. Our player was then offer the chance to be a member of an official club which allowes him to follow his dream. Through the cinematic and through some gameplay sections we see our character train harder than before in passing, dribling, controlling the ball, however during the games he cant seem to be able to find his place. He keeps losing the ball and making mistakes, which leads him to be bench. The coach seems to believe in him as he sees how hard he tries and the amount of effort he is putting. Fully detirmined to prove himself worthy our player seems to be in harmony with his teammates, creating oportunities and even scoring a goal. With our player proving his worth and making the coach proud, our player enters the official pitch as a starting member.
As it was pointed out, story was never going to be the focus, but still what we got was very nice. It shows that Hard work pays off. As mentioned, the plot is mostly given through the tutorial which also allows the player to learn the mechanics and gimmiks of the game. I found that section enjoyable as not only does it show us the mechanics it also implements them in the cutscenes in a unique way. As the players fail the first time or barely made it, translates to our star also having it difficult. But by the end, we as players and our character are ready to phase off anyone.
The gameplay allows the player to control their playable character and only him. The available game modes(on release) are 3vs3, 4vs4 and 5vs5(which is the main mode in competitive). The players are then placed on the field as a player or as the goalkeeper. It is important to state that at any moment anyone can be a striker or a goalkeeper. The
way it works is that the goalkeeper is given the gloves and the keepers mechanics, however if the goalkeeper moves away from the keepers boxed area the gloves and his abilities swap to that of a player and vice versa if a player moves inside the keepers area when the goalkeeper ran out roles will be swapped and that player becomes the new keeper. These
swaps can change in the fly and can save plenty of incomming goals.
As a Goalkeeper your task is to protect your goal from being scored. The keeper is free to walk outside of the area(as mentioned) in order to reach a ball first. When a goallie exists the box and is not replaced they become the Sweeper. As a sweeper, they have infinite stamina(to help them return to the box). When back to the goal the player can enter
the Keeper's stance, a defensive stance that will allow the keeper to grap any ball directed towards them. For example, if an opponent shoots and the ball goes near the keeper, the keeper will ignore it if not in stance or will grab the ball if the stance was up. During incoming shots and direct attacks the keeper gets two options. Jump or slide.
Jumping towards a direction will help the keeper prevent the ball from going in or even a cross from reaching an enemy striker. Sliding keeps the keeper on the ground and can help them steal the ball from the opponents feet. When the keeper holds the ball, they have a small time limit before they drop it on their legs which makes it easier to steal. The can throw a pass
either low or high and they can shoot it away. The option to exit the box and start dribling is always available.
Inside the field the character becomes the Player/ Striker. Inside the field the goal is not only to spot upcomming offenses by defending your own goal but to also score as many goals as possible. Every player has a stamina bar which can be consumed when the player sprints. When the player use the bar it auto generates in its own pace, same for every player.
Next to the stamina bar theres a smaller bar that shines in a different color. That bar is known as the extra effort bar. The players can double tap the sprint button in order to trigger it. Extra effort is represented with a lightning effect surrounding the players legs. When triggered the player can sprint faster and it can even be combined with both defensive and offensive
options. Once again it should be stated that all players are the same nomatter the skins and equipment. No player is faster than other and no-one has faster recovery or longer bars.
As mentioned, positioning is up to the players choice and understanding of the pitch. There are no roles for Striker, defender or Mid fielder, everyone can be everything. Idealy each time a kick off occurs, the players will be position in a place, usually the ones closer to the goal should play near the defence where as the ones in the middle and forward are the strikers and mid fielders.
As a Defender, the players should stay near the goalie or atleast stay close to the furthest enemy striker. In order to steal the ball, the players can tackle the ball with the tap of a button or using the same button whilst sprinting or using extra effort will make them slide tackle. There is no fouls nor potential to injure the players so use them without caution. The drawback of slide
tackling is that missing the ball will allow the opponent to advance closer to the goal whilst you re busy sliding away and getting back up. Another option is jumping for a header/ dive. This technique can be used to steal the ball when an opponent tries to drible above you(rainbow flick), when a ball is being crossed to the player you re defending againts or body blocking the shoots towards the goal.
Again using both sprint or extra effort with the dive will alter the posture and distance of the dive. Similar to the goalkeeper theres a Defensive stance which allows the player to be more interactive during defence. Passing, shooting or extending the ball whilst defending can cause an interception which will slightly alter the balls direction making it easier to steal. last but not least, as a
defender the players can use the shoot or the pass button on upcomming ball which will not only intercept with the ball but will also allow for a quick counter given that the ball was targeted to a teammate.
As a Striker, mid fielder or generally a person with the ball the goal is to move it around and place it on the opponents goal net. The player can always rely on their stamina and dribbling abilities to go for a solo run. In a one on one scenario, the player has to play a game or rock paper scissors in a way. For example, in order to keep the ball the player can dribble the ball on the ground
in order to pass through the defender, they can use an air dribble(raibnow flick+ a direction) to get through with the ball in the air or pass the ball ahead or on the wall and sprint/use extra effort to reach the ball first. Ofcourse the defenders can always try to steal the ball by using the appropriate counter. When things get tuff, or the player missuse the stamina bar, they can always pass the
ball around. A button is dedicated to pass and the same button with a combination can be use to lob/cross it. When giving the ball, the player has to aim towards the designated target and also has to use the right amount of power. Lobbing is good to give a high pass to a teammate nearby, but if you want to cross it, the best option is to shoot it towards the teammate. To receive the ball, the player can
be placed to the landing destination of the ball, use the defensive stance button to get it or use the dribbling button to control/get through the opponent. Using the extra effort whilst controlling the ball it will push the ball forward but it will also not be automatically controlled by the player and thus manuvering should be precise. For example, if a player extends the ball to the right and use
extra effort whilst moving slightly to the left will make the player run away from the ball instead of properly dribbling from right to left. In order to score, the player can shoot, pass or make their way(through dribbling) to the net. Shooting occurs witha press of a button. Similarly to passing, a direction(aim) and strength should be calculated when using. The game will automatically change the
animation of the striker for a normal shot, bicycle shot or scissor shot, the player does not have control over it. Additionally after shooting the ball, the player can swift the stick to give a spin/curve to the ball. As mentioned prior, the walls are there to be used to pass through opponents, to bounce it off the wall and assist for somebody else to score or even bait the goalkeper in order to self assist.
The game has a point system to award the player for all of their actions. For example, intercepting the ball, making a save, passing it around, assisting and scoring will grant the player a a certain amount of times. The most awarded player will receive the title of the MVP however it doesnt add much to the core of the game or the ranking of the player. The points written does not necessarily means you did everything
or added nothing to the game since a pass that was intercepted but still reached is target will not register as a succesfull pass. Similarly, making a cross of the wall that was stopped by opponent goalkeeper will still result as if the player never passed it. When having the ball and when not, the player can request for the ball or ask for available options which will make the player see their options(back, cross, switch sides etc.).
Certain buttons can also be used to thank a teammate, congratulate them for a save/pass/steal or even support the team with commands like " we got this". When scoring a goal the player can activate one of four celebratory animations which can be equiped from the Character customization.
The gameplay had me locked in from the very beginning. Its the type of game that everybody can pick up and enjoy, but also has a decent depth for others to master. It grants the player an amount of satisfaction when a pass/cross succesfully lands or a goal is being scored. It does feel as rewarding as when scoring when you played soccer with your friends. As mentioned the fact that all the players are the same means the only thing that differentiate is the players skills. Each 1vs1 feels like a 1vs1 in a fighting game where the right decision or a wrong decision can alter the result of the game. It also means that lacking a teammate or having a "bad teammate" does not mean the end of the world but it does give you a dissadvantage. The only bad things regarding the game as of now is the fact that a bad team can cause chaos, as some people wanna core all the goals, others will refuse to play as a goalkeeper and others will simply leave. This is not a fault of the game but it does effect players experience. Additionally the ranking system needs some work as some games grant you a small amount of points for winning and loses you almost the same as losing despite your performance. Given the fact that players are scored points for their performance, this could ve been calculated when rewarding/extracting points. Imagine losing alot of points because your teammates left your game.
This is an online game, thus the post content is none existance(atleast for now). The players can only play the 10-15 tutorials and then play online.
Graphics wise the game is good looking but nothing to be amazed. The game offers a nice variety of options to customize your player. From body type, to heads, face models, lips eyes and others. Aside from the body characteristics the player can change their outfits. The clothes closer to the skins and the ones above it. Rarity items obtained from the shop or
from the season pass can add special effects to the game. For example certain shoes can create foot prints on the ground. Another option that changes the looks of the game is the area. For example, the players are locked in a box with AR technology, the players can change the looks of the box and make it look as if the players are playing in space, underwater,
in a farm and plenty of others. Most of the are impressive to look at. Gameplay wise, there are some tiny visual glitches, none of them gamebreaking but a hastle to look at.
Audio wise, the game is not impressive but its also not lacking. The game has barely any memorable track aside from the crowed cheering, the players shouting for the ball or using the ingame dialogue options. The players actions also have a certain sound effect such as using extra effort, shooting etc. Each of the playing fields have
an extra sound effect alongside animation when scoring. For example, in space when scoring a black hole will reveal sucking things inside where as in the jungle birds and monkeys will appear. Again the audio is not something special nor something really memorable but its nice part of the game. Personally, i always have an audio software
on the background.
Overall Rematch is a fantastic game and probably one of the best football/soccer experiences out there. The game offers a 3vs3, 4vs4 and 5vs5(as of now) modes where the player control one player in the pitch. All the players are flexible similar to rocket league, meanning they can be the striker, defender, mid fielder or the goalkeeper at any moment. The game mechanics are
easy to pick up and play and offer depth for those who want to master it. Every 1vs1 feels like a fighting a game where the options are limited and each decision matters. The satisfaction of doing a successful dribble, pass or score is similar to that in real life. The character customization as well as the rest customizations are decent and allow for many things to be altered, Pitch,
celebrations, clothes(inside/outside), cosmetics and general looks.
Despite my praises, as of August 2025, the game has some minor issues and lacks in certain departments which some re confirmed to come to the game by September 2025. For example as mentioned in the beginning, Cross play is a feature that will be comming to the game within a month or so. Included in that patch will be fixing some of the visual glitches and a decision to fix/balance the
competitive ranking. I personally ranked in Bronze 1 and climbed as of now all the way to Platinum (rank 1) meanning i ve been through bronze, silver and gold. I noticed that in many cases a loss will cause the points of victory to go away, in other words winning grants you 20pts(despite if you were MVP or just there) and losing will also take 20pts away(again despite the performance). Similarly,
having a leaver or a thrower/afk will matter not as theres no penalty as of now. Similarly the report function is something that will be fixed with the next big patch.
The game does not come with full cost as it does include microtransactions. Theres a season pass which slowly unlocks as the season proceeds. The season pass include a fair amount of free items and for me, its progression pace is fair for the amount playing. This is a game i was looking forward and unlike certain others which were released relatively closed, this one lived up to the hype and my expectations.