Rematchwas one of the many surprising announcements at this year’s Game Awards. After its success withSifu, developer Sloclap shocked many with this vastly different project.Rematchsets out to bring players a 5v5 arcade-style soccer title that has plenty of unique flare.
While the art styles of bothSifuandRematchare quite close to one another, the similarities end there. Based on early footage,Rematchpromises non-stop actionin a highly stylized setting. The third-person soccer-focused title puts players in 5v5 multiplayer matches, and while it has been an interesting game to look into, there is also a clear competitor in its midst. The gameplay may be focused on human characters, butRematchfeels surprisingly reminiscent ofRocket League, presenting a huge challenger on the horizon.
Rematch is Intriguing, But Rocket League Already Has a Clear Advantage
AlthoughRocket Leaguewasn’t always a free-to-play title, it has boasted a zero-cost price tag since 2020, which helped it gain even more players. This may be the biggest hurdle thatRematchfaces. A lot of online multiplayer titles of the current generation opt for a free-to-play model, but Sloclap has clearly chosen a different path for its soccer game.Rocket Leagueis one of manyfree-to-play titles on the Epic Games store, andRematchcould be hurting itself in the long run by not following suit.
Recently, another game met an unfortunate fate that could have partially been caused by its price tag.The shut-down ofConcordonly two weeks after its launch was one of the biggest gaming stories of 2024. The Sony-exclusive hero shooter was set to compete withOverwatch 2and the recently releasedMarvel Rivals, but these two games had the benefit of being free-to-play, whileConcordwas priced at $40. It’s hard to convince audiences to pay for a game when they can get a similar experience for free, andRematchcould be setting itself up for a similar problem. However,Rematchhas some solid things going for it thatRocket Leaguedoesn’t have.
Sloclap has yet to reveal how muchRematchwill cost at launch.
Rematch’s Biggest Advantages Over Rocket League
Rematchtakes a human character approach to soccer instead ofRocket League’s car twist, and this could be incredibly appealing to many gamers. While the world of car-based games has a huge following, there are many out there who want whatRocket Leagueoffers, but with a more traditional version of soccer. According to the game’s Steam page,Rematchwill forego soccer rules like fouls and offsides, but it is still far more traditional than putting cars in place of players. This may be far more attractive to fans of soccer titles likeEA Sports FC, which is a major benefit.
As of now,Rematchis scheduled to launch in the summer of 2025.
Furthermore, 5v5 matches is something that has been talked about in theRocket Leaguecommunity for years. Bringing a 5v5 experience toRocket Leaguewould be really difficult, though, as it would require larger arenas to accommodate that many players. However, with human characters, 5v5 is completely possible, which could giveRematchthe extra kick it needs to make its yet-to-be-revealed price tag worth it for some gamers.The world of sports games is competitive, so it will be intriguing to see howRematchfares against a game as big asRocket League.
As the new year arrives, Sloclap is sure to bring forth more updates aboutRematchin the near future. An arcade soccer game isa surprising choice afterSifu, butRematch’sRocket Leaguevibes could make it both a fun title and a worthy competitor.
