Nick Football Champions review - It's football, but not as we know it

Because it's the World Cup, there's been an impressive influx of football related games on the App Store. Some of them are pretty standard fare, others, like Nick Football Champions, like to do things there own way.

In this case, its own way involves mashing up Crossy Road, bits of New Star Soccer, and some hardcore tapping to create something that's less of a mess than it sounds like it should be.

You're playing a character from a one of the many cartoons represented here. You start off as Spongebob, and it's with him that you'll learn the basics.

When you're attacking, you've got five lanes at your disposal. You'll find them peopled by defenders, who you need to get past. You do that my switching lanes at the right time, or tapping the screen to sprint.

When you've got past a set number, it's time to take your shot. Here a meter wobbles around the screen. Tap to aim, tap again to shoot. Score and you get a goal.

There's a ticking time limit, and the player that scores the most goals is the winner. When you're defending, all you do is mash the screen while a wheel spins. If it lands on Goal, you've conceded. It it lands on Miss, you haven't.

And that's about all there is to the game. There are keys to collect, either as gifts or by kicking the ball at a certain part of the goal when you're shooting. You can use these to unlock more characters.

But the game plays the same whether you're Spongebob or Invader Zim. And it's fine. Sure it's a bit weird, but for the most part that weirdness actually works in the game's favour.

It's not the most exciting game in the world, and while its odd collection of ideas gels pretty well together, the slickness of the fit doesn't quite manage to make the disparate parts look like they belong together.

But if you're sick of traditional football games, and you love cartoons, then there's probably enough here for you to suck some fun out of.