It took well over a decade, a long flight with my Macbook Air and a solid debate with Mark before I finally did a 180 on the glory that is Sensible Soccer. It’s still a cracking game today, provided you’ve got a controller. The range of leagues and teams alone absolutely puts FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer to shame.
But even though Sensi Soccer got a digital re-release on Xbox Live, we haven’t seen anything quite like it ever since. Except for this game, made by a bloke who knows literally bugger all about soccer.
It all started a couple of months ago when Marshall, to all and sundry on Twitter, proudly proclaimed that he’d accidentally stumbled upon the beginnings of a football game.
A sport for which he has literally zero interest in whatsoever.
Has anyone else accidentally started making a Football game today? Mine has the ‘going around’ and ‘jumping’ done pic.twitter.com/qY6xjKkV3V
— Dan Marshall (@danthat) April 5, 2016
I don’t know what the “rules” of football are and I don’t intend to look them up.
— Dan Marshall (@danthat) April 5, 2016
It’s not the first game Marshall’s worked on — he’s won a BAFTA for his games, which includes last year’s The Swindle. But making a sports game where you don’t and deliberately don’t want to know the rules is another beast entirely.
The game’s called Enter The Kickmen, and it looks like good fun. Marshall published the first decent chunk of footage from the game on YouTube recently, and while it’s not as fast as Sensi Soccer it’s certainly got some of the spirit.
What’s funny about it all is how Marshall seems to be actively campaigning against the game. Take this interview with The Verge, where takes multiple opportunities to slag off the beautiful game as succinctly as possible:
What are the key changes that you hope make a “boring” sport more exciting?
I’ve tried to make it more like speedball, that’s helped. But there’s no making football exciting, I’m afraid. Deep down it is what it is, and I’m afraid Kickmen is a football game and therefore at some level it’s pretty much doomed to be unutterably, intolerably dull.
…
Have you ever been tempted to look up the real rules to see how they compare to what you’re making?
God no, I’d claw my eyes out with boredom.
I really want this game.
Enter The Kickmen is going to be a singleplayer-only affair, and it’ll be released through Early Access hopefully some time this year.
This looks great.
Comments
6 responses to “There’s An Accidental Football Game And It Looks Great”
“oh no, the enemy has done 2 goals”
this is a soccer game i could get behind. lmao. looking forward to seeing this when its completed.
“…And a nice kiss from the umpire for doing so well.”
😆
He’s well worth following on Twitter as he posts regular updates. He’s also extremely funny in general 🙂
Brings to mind a number of Mitchell and Webb skits (less obviously, the ones with the film/tvs writers who know bugger all about the stuff they’re writing about).
More games by people who don’t know the rules, please!
Why single player only? Does not make sense
Depends on what his goal was. As it was ‘accidental’, it may well be he wanted a simple popcorn game that people can pick up for 5 minutes and be entertained.
Not every gamemaker wants to make The Witcher 3, some are happy making Flappy Bird.
If its simple enough and successful, someone will do a multiplayer rip-off.