Bang Average Football is a sports RPG (football/soccer) for Windows, Mac, and Linux in which players join a washed up, rock bottom football club at the bottom of the divisions and return them to national glory. Players can put themselves in the action and become the top player in the country, all while meeting the fans, making transfers, upgrading the town stadium, and so much more.
Bang Average Football was available to play on Steam starting October 6 and having recently spent some time with it, I’d thought why not give some impressions on a game so indie there isn’t even much information on their developer (ruairi dx on Steam) nor their publisher (Banana Life).
What I Like
Fun Factor
First and foremost, Bang Average Football is fun in a throwback sort of way where you just get lost in scoring goals without worrying about realism and true-to-life graphics. It’s the vintage football/soccer game that some of us old-timers grew up on. The shooting, passing, and defensive controls don’t take too long to pick-up and frankly, why should they? As an avid PES/FIFA guy, it’s a nice relief not having to worry about complex control schemes. On the rare occasion I did find myself saying “I wish I could do a first-time pass,” it was quickly forgotten as I learned to adjust to the controls instantly. The beauty of the game is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously but there’s a little pearl-like depth to be had inside of this clam.
There’s A Little Depth
I was pleasantly surprised by some of the options you have at your disposal, especially in regards to your team. Games of this variety don’t usually have deep squads, maybe 14 at max, but Bang Average Football gives you about 20 players to choose from so the squad management itch can be scratched. There’s also some basic tactics (Instructions) that you can give your team, and quite honestly at times the players stick to the instructions more than EA Sports FC 24 and eFootball 2024. There’s even two kit options to choose from so you don’t run into kit clash issues.
Not Too Many Bugs
Regardless of a game’s scale or budget, you always expect a few bugs here or there but Bang Average Football was a pretty smooth play in my time with it. Even the Story Mode was smooth sailing.
Story Mode
This is where I spent most of my time with Bang Average Football. After a couple of exhibition matches, I jumped into Story Mode to see what it was all about. First impressions are positive. There’s a nice backstory about a club that has spiraled towards the bottom after missing a penalty in a title-deciding match 20-30 years ago. Fast forward to the present and you start your journey after creating a character with some basic customization options (hair, skin tone, etc.) and then you’re off, literally on a train in the game where halfway through you can customize the club you are going to (name, kits, and so on). Unbeknownst to you, you end up becoming the manager and the rest, well, I’ll leave that up in a nice little blend of the Sims meets soccer.
You Can Save GIFs
The ability to save gifs seems like such an easy thing to implement yet I don’t remember this option being available in too many sports games prior to Bang Average Football. A simple click of a button while the replay is showing and a GIF saves in the game directory’s folder.
Bottom Line
Seeing as though only the demo was available, it will be interesting to see what the price for this game ends up being. I can’t imagine this being more than $10 when it fully releases but if the demo still means that the developer is working on additional storylines or modes, then it could be well worth it to get your dose of soccer simplicity with a twist.
