When it comes to mobile games you can almost guess what you are getting into. Unless you are paying upfront they are mostly the same game with slightly different battle mechanics that aren't that varied. Soccer Spirit by Com2uS falls into all of the mobile tropes except the combat is actually something that is distinguishable.
The Game:
In Soccer Spirit you will be playing as High School soccer team that has stumbled into a galactic tournament of soccer.(yup) Each position on the field will be covered by a player. Each of these players are collecter cards that have a star rating system and can be upgraded through leveling them and fusing them with players of the same star level to gain another star.
You gain hero cards through loot crates that take the form of spaceships falling onto a soccer pitch. Each of the players has a special skill and a position that they play best. If you put them in the right position they will gain a bonus. You can increase the skills as you level and there are spirit stones that you can equip with characters to give them further benefits.
The combat is the most unique aspect of the games. Your team of 11 is set on the field and one team will start out with the ball based on the coin flip. The ball then will determine who is going to battle. For instance, if your forward has the ball they will be in a one v one against the enemy midfielder. You can use special abilities or try to run through them which will lower the enemies health bar. This is still very much a battle system but its actually pretty dynamic. If you feel one of player is outmatched you can pass the ball to a character that you think will have a better chance of winning their battle. If you win up to their back line and goalie you can kick it in for a shot. One score wins the game.
There is energy that each match will cost you that replenishes over time. There is also a standard in-game currency and premium currency you can buy for real money. As with most, you will get a fair bit of premium currency from the game's quests and achievements. The real-life money to premium currency is pretty steep in this game. I find if you can't buy at least 10 of their equivalent of loot boxes for 5 bucks you are paying way too much. There are also event currencies that you can use to unlock special character and items during event times.
On top of the several PvE mode, they offer a PvP where you play against other players teams. There is also a chance to get what are called coaches that will enable buffs.
My Thoughts:
This is an example of where a battle system can really help pull a game up from its other low points. Soccer Spirit does not escape from being a freemium game but it does stand out. There is a level of challenge to this game that makes it feel a bit gated but at the same time gives the player a far greater sense of control.It just frustrates me that a game with such interesting gameplay is wracked with the bullshit that loot crates bring. Granted you can grind for players by playing matches over and over until you get them but it always seems the strongest and most ill-balanced players come from the packs. You also are exposed to some pretty hard instances fairly early on that I think are there to drive you to want to get better players faster. My premium currency was gone somewhat fast.
The story is nothing great and is kinds of confusing at time. There are so many characters at the start, none climb through the constant banter. The main character has some personality and you will see a few here and there but nothing that is distinguished.
The art is anime illustrations that are not likely to make a sex-negative person all too happy. I guess since it is soccer it would make sense to have fewer clothes but I see some of those suits a little less feasible to run in. The game apparently has also been toned down for the American crowd, which if you see some of these pictures you kinda wonder how bad it got.
The game never felt like I was short on things to do. It didn't feel like I was being overloaded with the UI screen. It wasn't full of forced adds, which always nice.
Although Soccer Spirit is full of the same freemium crap that plagues the mobile market, it gives enough in the combat system to actually distinguish itself. It is not so much a soccer game as a soccer-based battle game but it does carry some entertainment value. Really if you are bored at a bus stop it wouldn't hurt to try it out. It's okay and that is about as high and low as I will speak of it. I see it having a short-lived but nontrivial life on my phone.
TL;DR:
Soccer Spirit is a hero collecting soccer themed battle mobile game with your fanservice anime illustration. It comes with a unique battle system while its still mired in the freemium crap that we are o so use to. It's okay.
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