eFootball Kick-Off! Review: Konami Takes the Field on Switch 2!

eFootball Kick-Off! Does Konami's football work on Switch 2?

The football World Cup is approaching and, as expected, the world of video games is preparing to let us experience firsthand what it's like to be a true football wizard. eFootball Kick-Off!, an installment of the famous Konami saga created specifically to win over the Nintendo audience, arrives on Switch 2. Goal achieved? To find out, stay on this page and enjoy our review of eFootball Kick-Off!.

First of all, know that we are not looking at a direct conversion of the eFootball we have come to know on other platforms, but Konami has decided to develop an episode specifically designed for the Japanese console. The game abandons the free-to-play philosophy and is offered at a budget price of 19.99 euros. The basic idea is to propose a version of eFootball dedicated to total immediacy, where the casual match is within everyone's reach without too much hassle. As soon as the game starts, it's clear that the gameplay can easily adapt even to those who want an extremely guided experience, so much so that shots and passes can be made almost autonomously by the artificial intelligence, with the player limited to giving few inputs. Obviously, we are talking about an excess, given that we can remove all aids and play in the style we have come to love with Konami's historical football titles. Needless to say, with or without aids, the experience is purely arcade, much to the chagrin of those looking for a more simulation-based football game.

The game offering is divided into single-player and multiplayer, but the range of possibilities is quite limited. Alone, you can play friendlies or some atypical situations like 6-on-6 matches or cage matches where you can use walls as rebounds and can only act in your own half of the field, air hockey style. Friendlies are a must, and since the football World Cup will be held this summer, there's also an unlicensed mode that allows you to compete in a national team competition. Then there's the world tour, which echoes the themes of the legendary Master League, albeit with some differences, also aimed at streamlining the experience. You create your own team and start with the historic lineup featuring Castolo, Minanda, and Ximelez, to build your dream team. Customization options are limited to choosing game tactics and the team name. Naturally, the whole thing is based on the attempt to create your dream team, but the system is different from what we remembered. From time to time, you access a series of tournaments calibrated to the value of your squad, where you play against teams of similar value.

eFootball Kick-Off! Game modes and gameplay

eFootball Kick-Off! Game modes and gameplay

By winning matches, you can "steal" a player from your opponent and add them to your lineup. The higher the team's value, the stronger teams you can challenge and acquire champions. At the end of the match, regardless of the result, there's a small "lottery" where you can win colored tokens. Each color is linked to a role, and by collecting enough tokens, you can purchase a player from a very restricted list that will update over time. In short, even if you only suffer defeats, in the long run you will still be able to enhance your squad and aim for some prestigious results. The system is quite convoluted, but it has the advantage of replacing that of other eFootball titles that push microtransactions. So, if you want a star-studded lineup, you'll have to rely solely on your own efforts. Of course, it must be said that some factors should be reviewed, above all the one that allows you to exit a match at any time and replay it from scratch without any penalty. The result is that if you find yourself suffering a difficult-to-recover deficit, it's much quicker to exit the game and restart rather than finish it. Naturally, we are talking about trophies of minimal value other than moral, but immersion suffers.

The team you form can also be used in multiplayer, whether it's local for up to four players or online. Here too you can play friendlies or ranked matches, and in addition to the total power of your squad, there will be a ranking dedicated to your skills. Each player, during all matches played, based on how they perform, will receive points related to attack, defense, and so on, creating their own profile that will improve over time. Also noteworthy is the presence of GameShare, which is the function of being able to share your game with other Switch 2 users, both online and offline. The resulting picture is that of a title with few game options and which, apart from a couple of mini-games, is limited to offering single and multiplayer challenges, plus a "castrated" Master League and an unlicensed world championship. A bit little, even for a budget-priced title. I note that, at least, the online infrastructure works properly and I always played with good connection stability.

eFootball Kick-Off! Technical aspects and final thoughts

eFootball Kick-Off! Technical aspects and final thoughts

As per tradition, despite the presence of many first and second division leagues, official licenses are not abundant, and we will once again have to play with Piemonte instead of Juventus and so on. The player database leaves some perplexity, and seeing Caicedo as the highest-rated player in the world can raise more than a few eyebrows, as can finding Kaoru Mitoma just below him or Raphinha with a higher overall value than Yamal. In short, a good balancing patch would be needed, and I hope Konami revises some of the calculations. The gameplay itself is decidedly more simplistic and frantic than other titles in the series, with the ball physics being a bit light and goalkeepers showing too many problems with managing shots near the post. In general, single matches are fun, but over time, the problems come to light.

The graphics of eFootball Kick-Off! do not fully exploit the capabilities of Nintendo Switch 2, with models, textures, and animations that merely do the bare minimum, while still making the most famous footballers recognizable and rendered with decent care. The overall fluidity is good, settling at 60 FPS, but in every match I played there were some noticeable stutters which, given the general level, seem quite unjustified. There is no commentary, but the sound effects are good, and with this, the picture of a budget-priced title that can entertain casual gamers but fails to satisfy users who want a more complete experience or, at least, one faithful to the spirit of Konami's football titles, is complete. I appreciate the abandonment of the microtransaction system, but I think it wouldn't have been difficult to retrieve the gameplay and Master League from some past gems, ranging from PES 6 to PES 20/21. This way, both those who want a quick-fix experience and those looking for something more engaging would have been pleased.