14 DAY TRIAL // Gamers who also love soccer (football) as a sport don't really have much of a choice when it comes to titles in the genre. There are the two major simulators, in the form of FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer, and not much else.
Compare this to older times when cult classics like Sensible Soccer or Nintendo World Cup reigned supreme and there's a definite lack of stylized, tongue-in-cheek takes on "the beautiful game."
Enter Kopanito. This novel indie title from Polish studio MerixGames promises a return to the over-the-top days of soccer games, where things were stylized instead of realistic, and the actual titles didn't take themselves too seriously.
The game made its debut on Steam Greenlight earlier this month, and fans have already helped it secure a release on the Steam service.
We've taken its early demo for a spin to see if Kopanito can live up to the legacy of classic arcade soccer games. Does it score a winning goal or should it go back to the locker room? Let's have a quick look.
Old school but still impressive
If you've played classics like Sensible Soccer or Kick Off, you'll feel right at home in Kopanito. It retains the 2D arcade soccer mechanics, but as you can imagine, it makes a myriad of changes to ensure smoother controls and player movement.
The control scheme is similar to the likes of FIFA, so fans won't notice that big of a change. However, unlike FIFA or PES, in Kopanito there are no rules. Fouls, tackles, or offsides aren't penalized, so you're free to be as hectic as possible.
However, constantly punishing your opposing team charges up their super move meter, so it will come back to bite you.
Speaking of super moves, teams are able to use a random ability during the match, which ranges from a charged shot that goes through the goalkeeper to a magnet-like ball vacuum, and even a teleport. They serve to keep things exciting and fit pretty well into the arcade experience.
You can choose from a myriad of national teams and each one comes with five field players and one goalkeeper. You can even play locally with friends, as the game supports a keyboard plus four gamepads.
The visuals are cartoonish but work very well and the animations are smooth, even for the miniaturized players. The sound design is also pretty good.
Overall, Kopanito has what it takes to bring the arcade soccer genre back into the spotlight. Fingers crossed for a smooth Steam debut. You can still check out its Steam Greenlight page.
Editor's note: Due to technical problems, we were unable to capture gameplay video or screenshots. As such, you can check out the official ones below.
