Soccer Manager Arena

Soccer is a pretty big sport around the world, especially when it comes to competitions like Champions League or the World Cup. Hence, it’s no wonder that the best players are worth tens of millions, not to mention their salaries and the sponsorships they receive from various brands. Hence, there are plenty of video games on the subject as well, ranging from realistic to simple Flash games to pass the time with.

Soccer Manager Arena is a casual soccer sim that allows you to take part in short matches and use simple controls to score points, unlock better players and a variety of other goodies. The whole thing feels like a CCG as well, especially since you can win new player packs and level up your current players to get more out of them on the field. On the other hand, the mechanics are simple enough for everyone to get started in a matter of minutes.

There’s a tutorial to show you the basics, and it’s obvious from the start that the game is a mobile port with badly optimized mouse and keyboard controls. Hence, you have to perform “tap” and “swipe” gestures using the mouse, which is not as enjoyable as on a tablet. However, the mechanics are simple enough for this not to be a huge problem, at least not all the time.

Your team can be customized by upgrading players, changing the formation or introducing new stars, depending on your preferences. Naturally, players come in multiple categories, depending on their starting stats and upgrade prospects. However, you are limited when it comes to opening packs, even if you win them for free. Thus, it really depends on your patience level when it comes to the in-app purchases gimmick.

As far as the graphics are concerned, don’t expect an awful lot in this regard, especially since the mobile port aspect is very obvious. Hence, the letterbox screen mode can be a bit annoying, although it kind of works in this case, given the shape of the field. However, the low-resolution textures are not very pretty to look at for too long, and the controls are a bit too annoying most of the time as well.

When it’s all said and done, Soccer Manager Arena may not revolutionize the genre, but it features a lot of interesting mechanics and a very addictive gameplay. Hence, it might just have what it takes to keep you busy for a long time.