Norway beats Sweden in football, the game series FIFA changes its name to EA Sports FC and the whole world is considering whether it is really okay to follow this summer’s Qatar World Cup. There are some foundations that are shaken here. There are many and strong emotions in swing. Chaos, simply. Out of this stormy chaos comes Nintendo’s version of the world’s greatest sport. You can almost see scientists in the background tearing their hair while shouting “what have we done ?!”. We’re talking about a football game that does not really appeal to football enthusiasts. Instead, it goes into competition-based gaming fun for anyone who likes Nintendo’s general design philosophy. Equal parts party and football Because even though there are two teams (with a goalkeeper and four outfielders), two goals, a lawn with white lines on it and a ball in “Mario Strikers: Battle League Football”, the rules from reality football are shredded. And then the fire started. Here it is tackled really hard with knobs first both from the front and from behind. Spectacular special attacks can yield two targets. Shells are thrown from turtles and bananas. There are live fences around the course. And it’s okay to take the ball with your hands. To mention something. ILLEGAL: For natural reasons, there are no judges on the field in “Mario Strikers”. There will thus be no yellow or red cards for throwing bombs at opponents. Photo: NEXT LEVEL GAMES / NINTENDO All this is old news for those who have followed this series since the Gamecube started in 2005. At that time, the game was called “Mario Smash Football” here in Europe and in Australia, “Super Mario Strikers” for the rest of world. Throughout this series, the Canadian studio Next Level Games has offered a kind of alternative football universe. We are in the borderland between football and party games, and it is a bit of a football party we are invited to. Sharpen your senses Having fun is the mainstay. But “Mario Strikers: Battle League Football” is also surprisingly complex. You have regular passes, lob passes, shots on goal, tackles and evasive maneuvers. These can either be charged by holding down the button, or be extra effective if you press at exactly the right time. FINGERSPITZGEFÜHL: There are many functions and buttons for the fingers to keep track of. Here Luigi tries to start a special kick on goal. Photo: NEXT LEVEL GAMES / NINTENDO At the same time, keep track of objects that fall on the court and pick them up before your opponents do. You need to focus on all of this while tackling it over a very low shoe. Here the game is very similar to “Super Smash Bros.” as in a football game. It really goes away on the court, and you have to react instantly in the correct way absolutely all the time. That’s the game’s greatest strength. And weakness. “Mario Strikers” is a game that on the one hand rewards the good and on the other hand brutally punishes the clumsy. Too hard? In practice, this means that the fun factor increases the better you are, which makes this game less inclusive than you are used to from Nintendo. I mean, all in all, it’s the right move for this game. For “Mario Strikers: Battle League Football” can quickly approach e-sports and serious competition. Not only can there be up to eight actual players on one screen, you can also create your own clubs for up to 20 players or join other people’s clubs and play online. ROLE-GAME-LIKE: All Nintendo characters have unique features, and these can also be adjusted with equipment you can touch. Photo: NEXT LEVEL GAMES / NINTENDO I think everyone who goes in to be good will be able to enjoy themselves for a long time. “Mario Strikers: Battle League Football” takes a stand alongside games such as “Rocket League” and “Splatoon” and offers chaotic but serious multiplayer action. Personally, it will be a bit too much to keep track of here. The game’s complexity is there for a reason, of course, but on the curve that ranges from “easy to like” to “difficult to master”, I think the game has gotten a little too close to the latter. But I’m really looking forward to watching tournaments with “Mario Strikers” experts. It can be extremely fun. news reviewer Photo: Nintendo Title: «Mario Strikers: Battle League» Genre: Sports Publisher: Nintendo Developers: Next Level Games, Nintendo EPD Age limit: 7+ Date: June 10, 2022 Heisann! I am a freelancer and write about games for news. On a daily basis, I work at Level Up Norway. If you want to read more about games, I can recommend my reviews of the great games “God of War”, “Elden Ring” and “Gran Turismo 7”.
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Battle League Football »- Reviews and recommendations
