Developer: ruairi dx
Platform: Linux, Mac, Windows (Reviewed)
Genre: RPG, Sports
Publisher: Banana Life
Bang Average Football is a unique fusion of football, management, and RPG genres, all seamlessly integrated into a single, captivating experience. You start as a rookie player in a small town, but the club owner has grander plans for you. Before you know it, you’re thrust into the player-manager role, leading a small club to success in the football league.
As I said, there are three distinct gaming elements – you control your football team, and it plays like Sensible Soccer, but a bit slower; the graphics in the game are similar to Sensible Soccer with sprite-based football action. The game controls are straightforward, with a pass, cross, free ball, and shoot being different buttons that distinguish it from Sensible Soccer. If you like retro-based football games, then you will like this. It took some getting used to as you players with low ratings to start with who are sluggish and crap, but that improves over time!
RPG, as you land in this new place, you will interact with an array of people in your village and other towns to better understand what’s going on with the football, how the fans feel and how you are progressing in the minds of others. The RPG elements, look and feel, remind me of Stardew Valley. The RPG elements are broken by in-training games where you can rank up your stats and make your player even better, adding a whole other layer to the game. It has a distinctiveness of British humour and football humour that helps build the RPG elements to be more impactful and another fantastic layer to the game. It’s tongue in cheek at times and plays on the sense of Britishness and football really well; it did make me chuckle, too. The RPG elements allow you to gain sponsors and more money, which you can use to manage the club as you see fit.
Lastly, the management aspect of the game allows you to control transfers, formations, the stadium, and your kit design. While not as in-depth as a fully-fledged management system, this management element allows you to make the decisions you want and adds another fantastic game mechanic to the game.
I loved the game’s pixelated art style and the use of bright and bold colours throughout. You can also make lots of customisations to your club. The gameplay and mechanics are straightforward. The game’s music and sound effects fit perfectly. From a visual perspective, I have no qualms.
I love the mixture of three different gameplay styles in one game, and humour and wit are incorporated well throughout. There is a lot of British humour that excels in the game. I loved the old-school Sensible, which was like football action. You must be a football fan to enjoy this game and get it. You may find the game somewhat repetitive; however, the RPG and management elements help to make the game feel rich and not that repetitive. A really fantastic indie football that is great fun.
Overall: 7.5/10
Enjoys more than the odd game, long time gamer, somewhat a technologist and everything else in between.
Also enjoys a good solid game of FIFA online. Currently PS4, XBOX 360 and STEAM.
