Soccer Superstars

It’s hard to find a football game that can recreate the motions and emotions of players realistically, at least on iPhone and Android.

While PES and FIFA handle well enough and replicate the sport to the best of their abilities, neither franchise is perfect when it comes to representing Peter Crouch’s gob or stilt-like legs.

Soccer Superstars, on the other hand, doesn’t even try to look or feel realistic. Instead, Gamevil’s strategy is to create a manager sim with RPG elements, some simplistic play, and anime graphics. The resulting football is more than a little rusty, but at least it avoids the pitfall of trying and failing.

Can you manage?

Much like in the game's Americanised brother Baseball Superstars, Soccer Superstars's main modes put you in control of either a team or a single player on his way to stardom and a ludicrous salary.

In Season mode you manage the team’s training, raising their stats and prepping them for their next match. You can also transfer players and deal with the clubs finances, or buy items that will help your team perform better.

Once on the pitch things become a little trickier, with controls and mechanics that will feel slightly alien to anyone expecting PES 2011. The D-pad controls movement, but you only have to tap once in whatever direction you want your player to move. To make them sprint, you hold down the relevant D-pad button.

This makes movement a little robotic. In any case, it turns out direct control often isn’t even necessary as the players are programmed to move automatically. Instead the focus is on passing, tackling, and shooting at the right time. This is more a game of timing, luck, and patience than one of skill.

In passing

This patience is most necessary in My League mode, which puts you in control of a single player’s career. Once again you have to train to raise your stats, buy useful items, and dine out to raise your morale.

The outings and the dialogues between matches are where the game's RPG sensibilities become evident. For example, at one point you’re given options to ask for a salary raise or visit certain restaurants to win a prize.

On the pitch, things slow down again. This time only your own player is under your control. You can press X to request a pass and Square to shoot, while pressing Square when another teammate has the ball will order him to shoot. All this is preferable to the virtual stick of the standard Android version, but it still feels a little awkward.

It doesn’t stop the manager portion of the game from being enjoyable, though. And it’s always funny to watch a tiny sprite score and run off in celebration with every single member of the squad flocking after him like a formation of migrating geese.

The football isn’t exactly what you’d expect, and it feels a little regressive compared to the more realistic depictions. At the same time, this anti-realist approach is a major part of Soccer Superstars's appeal.