Video Game Review: Retro Bowl

Retro Bowl

New Star Games

Sports

Mobile

There aren’t enough good sports games on mobile platforms. There are a few enjoyable simulation games, but even those are completely driven by coaching and owner decisions with very little active gameplay. Retro Bowl is a new football game that allows players to coach a team and control what’s going on in the field (Well, the offense at least).

Retro Bowl owns its name and presents itself as a 16-Bit game that looks a lot like Super Tecmo Bowl. Players are dropped into a coaching position for a down-and-out team and will work towards winning the Retro Bowl. Players will be able to make pick most of the team’s personnel, including players and coordinators. Player decisions are simplified, and only the superstars are managed in Retro Bowl. The rest of the players on the team are considered to be mediocre or worse. They are nameless and their stats aren’t tracked.

This system takes some of the control away from the player but makes it accessible to players of all skill levels. Since only the best players are managed, only the first three draft picks are made by the player too. A salary cap system prevents players from building a super team, ensuring balance and a challenge. Every year the cap grows, allowing for players to build a better team and gain a sense of progression. It doesn’t perfectly imitate the NFL but makes for a fine arcade franchise mode.

The gameplay itself is solid, and Retro Bowl makes the most out of its touch controls. Before the play starts, players will drag their finger back from the Quarterback if they want to pass, or tap the running back for a run play. The play is already decided for the player, so all they need to do is decide if they will pass or run, then carry out the play. If the player is passing, they will drag their finger back to match how hard they want to throw, aim, and let go like a slingshot. The ball will (Hopefully) soar into the receiver’s hands. Running is simple as well. The player will automatically run in the right direction, and players can swipe in the direction they want to juke, Kicking field goals and extra points is as simple as tapping once for a power meter, then again for accuracy.

Not being able to choose your play or even routes can be frustrating at times. This is especially noticeable when a hail mary or similar deep routes are needed and the game chooses short to medium routes instead. This can be overcome with skill, but the AI does make some strange decisions sometimes to the detriment of the player. Still, the game always gives the option to punt or go for it on 4th down. It also allows you to choose to kick or go for it as the clock heads towards zero, giving more control to the player.

The player will only get to enjoy offense in Retro Bowl, so they will need to build a great defense if they don’t want to watch the simulated defense result in touchdown after touchdown. It would be nice if there was a little more depth to defense, but playing offense only allows for quick games and fast seasons. The quarters are rather short, and players might get two drives per quarter. This format is perfect for a mobile game, allowing for quick games in less than 5 minutes or entire seasons in less than an hour.

The game has a simple but effective presentation. The retro aesthetic looks nice and isn’t taxing on phones. It runs well and I only encountered a bug or two in a menu, but never during a game itself. The sound effects leave a lot to be desired, and most players will just want to play with the volume off. The 32 teams have the same cities and colors as the actual NFL teams but don’t share the same name. Instead, games are always something like “Indianapolis at Seattle.” I like that the developer took this approach rather than making up team names since it makes Retro Bowl feel as close to an NFL game as possible.

You can download a trial version for free and try a couple of games. You will need to pay $.99 to unlock the full game, but the one purchase is all you need to enjoy hours of football fun. There are optional in-app purchases that make the game easier, but these are from necessary purchases.

Retro Bowl is a fun arcade football experience that features an interesting franchise mode and above-average gameplay. The charming graphics and simple controls make this one of the best sports games on mobile platforms.

Retro Bowl can be downloaded now on the Google Play Store.