Soccer, Tactics & Glory Review for PlayStation 4

Soccer, Tactics & Glory is a strategy game developed by Creoteam and Raylight Games and published by Creoteam and Toplitz Productions. As made clear by its title, Soccer, Tactics & Glory has players fighting for fame and a World Cup on the soccer field. However, unlike Electronic Arts’ popular FIFA series, gameplay in Soccer, Tactics & Glory feels like a mixture of the classic baseball board game Strat-O-Matic and XCOM. For those looking for a soccer management game that takes less effort to succeed in than Football Manager, Soccer, Tactics & Glory will hit the proverbial spot. However, the game does little to entice those not already inside its niche market to give it a gander.

Soccer, Tactics & Glory starts players off with a solid introduction to its gameplay mechanics, placing players in charge of a team with aspirations for a national cup. Naturally, the player himself is a rising star on the team. With each turn during this initial matchup, the game explains to players how exactly to engage with it. Players are given three “actions” per turn, during which they attempt to get the soccer ball through the opposing team’s net. Soccer, Tactics & Glory showcases how to pass the ball between players, move characters to different positions on the field, shoot, defend, and utilize special actions like long passes.

The likelihood of success for any given action – from passing the ball to scoring – is determined by the ball-handling soccer player’s ability rating in that area. However, even if the player’s rating is lower than the athlete opposing him, Soccer, Tactics & Glory still gives him a chance to succeed. The game randomly generates a number between one and both players’ respective ability ratings, and whichever number comes out higher wins the favorable outcome. This style of gameplay means that underdog teams with significantly worse ratings than their adversaries have a chance in any given matchup.

Soccer, Tactics & Glory really banks on players clinging to the mentality that they can win against seemingly insurmountable odds due to the vicissitudes of chance. This notion becomes apparent right at the end of players’ first games, when the on-screen character supposed to be representing them suffers a career-ending injury. Players are immediately flashed to the present, some 15 years later, at which point they are offered the opportunity to manage a soccer club composed of players with low ability ratings. They will suffer many losses over their coaching career, with the ultimate goal of improving their on-screen soccer players enough to contend for a championship.

With a set number of turns, player ratings in a multiplicity of areas, and the ever-present hope that accompanies chance during every action, Soccer, Tactics & Glory operates as a decent soccer-management game. Dated graphics and undetailed menu screens somewhat mar a good concept, but don’t render Soccer, Tactics & Glory unplayable. The game will appeal to those already interested in the genre, but won’t rise to the top of its market in its current formulation.

Rating: 7.5/10

Check Out the Soccer, Tactics & Glory Launch Trailer:

Soccer, Tactics & Glory is now available on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

For more information, please visit: http://toplitz-productions.com/football-tactics-glory.html

Jori Grossman

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I'm a recent graduate of Columbia University. Gaming has been a passion of mine my entire life; I enjoy everything from RPGs and FPSs to stealth and narrative-driven games. I love the deeply immersive quality that good video games inherently possess, and am looking forward to highlighting games worthy of acclaim. When I'm not studying or reading, you can catch me playing games like Uncharted, Dishonored, The Witcher 3, and Far Cry.

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