Golazo! review

Considering Golazo! is arcadey soccer game, it doesn’t feature a story mode; however you can take on the world in its World Cup mode; all of which will be detailed below. Golazo! brings a breath of fresh air to the football/soccer genre. While most people are playing FIFA or PES, casual fans of the sport might not be dedicated enough to invest hours and hours into the football/soccer sims. This is were Golazo! comes into play. This is a pure arcade soccer game where the main goal is to just have fun; it’s very easy to pick up and play.

Golazo! features a very simplistic pick up and play control scheme. There’s a defense and offense type of control mechanic. When on the offense, there’s a pass, kick, tackle, lob and jump/juggle button. Holding down the pass and kick button will allow your shots to be a bit more powerful. When you’re on the receiving end of an offense from the opposing team, you can tackle, push, steal and change players.

Interestingly enough, your players, and sometimes the opposing team, will get either a speed, tackle boost or a power shot which can help your team regain the advantage or unfortunately lose it. It’s a nice touch that gives the game its unique arcadey feel.

The game has three different modes: Quick Play, Internation Cup and World Cup. Quick play lets you jump into the action against the A.I. or a friend. While International Cup, you select a team where you’ll play 4 consecutive games; it’s a nice and efficient method of grinding for money; if you can win or at least tie a game. While World Cup is a simplified version of a Season mode where you have to claw your way to the top of the rankings.

Then there’s the locker room where you can use your hard-earned money to buy a variety of aesthetic items for your players. You can purchase accessories like gloves, jerseys, balls, sneakers and cheers; this allow players to give a unique look to their teams.

One of the game’s main problems is its detection issues. Whether it be when trying to recuperate the ball from the opposing team or the net reacting as if the ball was into the net (sometimes it cleared responded as if the goal was scored), to the ball being kicked in it, yet the goal doesn’t count.

The other problem is that your AI teammates are dumber than a doorknob. I lost count at how many times my teammate just looked at the ball or other players without trying to slide or steal the ball away; more often than not they’d dash toward the player with the ball only to turn around. The playable player also switches a bit too quickly when passing the ball considering the slowness of the game so you can easily lose control of the ball if you don’t react quickly enough after a pass.

Winning matches rewards you with cash that you can use to purchase new equipment and skins. Sadly, it’s a bit tough. Losing matches won’t yield any reward so unlocking becomes a grind and a bit frustrating for those looking just to have fun. Other games reward players with a small amount of XP or money even when on the receiving end of a loss but considering that Golazo! doesn’t, it can make progressing through the game looking like an insurmountable mountain for unlocking stuff mostly due to the aggressive opposing AI and dumbass teammate AI as this can put you on the losing end. Often.

With its vintage, not-too-serious, artistic visuals, the game is a nice nod to retro games from the golden era of gaming. Characters are well designed, albeit similar from team to team only varying in their uniform colors. The game is also very colorful and provides a joyful experience. Before and after matches, each team is represented by their coach and they have a unique closed eye grumpy or smiley design adding a touch of humor to the game. The audio side of things is a forgettable soundtrack and barely any color commentary. This is a missed opportunity if you’re looking to be a throwback to classic games, a team of color commentators would’ve added an interesting addition to the presentation.

The idea behind Gozalo! is a great one; provide gamers a friendly pick up and play soccer/football game for those who feel like the FIFA or PES series might be too daunting. Unfortunately, the game is a missed shot. Despite being filled with content and its friendly approach, the A.I. is frustratingly rough around the edges; the opposition can often come off as insurmountable while your teammates are dumber than dirt. If you have the time and dedication, which ironically could be used for a soccer sim, you can end up enjoying Gozalo!, however this is the perfect party game to play with friends.