The Beautiful Game Beyond The Pitch
At the time of writing this review, we are in the midst of World Cup fever. We’re being treated to multiple matches every day, taking in some great football and some tedious games. And there is no doubt that we are well used to the juggernaut that is the beautiful game, both in terms of the real world experience and that of the virtual one. You know, EA FC 26 and Football Manager bringing in plenty of players on a daily basis.
These games focus on the thrills of your favourite team, the world’s greatest players, and the thrill of being a manager. But what about the other aspects of football? Stadium management, fan zone design, and, of course, catering. These are the football elements that no one really thinks about, but which somehow happen by magic.
Copa City is a game that puts you in charge of all the logistics, as you look to ensure that each and every match starts on time.
Building The Perfect Matchday Experience
Copa City is a football management simulator, but instead of managing players and teams, you are managing the fans. And, as every club knows, without the fans, football is nothing. There are actual licensed clubs to organise events around, including Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, CR Flamengo, Beşiktaş, and Olympique Marseille. The story is that you are given a fortnight to get everything fan-ready for match day, with a group of advisors helping you along the way.
There are three types of fans to cater for in this game. There are the core fans, who require catering and other facilities. Then there are the family fans, who need entertainment as part of their matchday experience. Finally, there are the ultras, whose main concerns – at least for you – are safety and security.
To satisfy these different groups, you have to build fan zones around the city to meet their needs. You start with a limited number of options, but as the game progresses, you earn experience points and unlock more items. So, for example, catering stalls are a simple way to satisfy the core fans. Kids’ entertainment is another good way to keep family fans happy, while the ultras need security checkpoints as a starting point to ensure safety and stop chaos from erupting.
Every Decision Leads To Kick-Off
Your group of advisors is helpful to begin with, providing missions and side quests that guide you through building the different fan zones and districts around the city. There is also a tutorial that explains the controls and the basics of what you need to do. But as the game progresses, you realise just how deep this management sim really is, with transport, seating allocations, and ticket pricing all becoming part of your responsibilities.
Everything builds towards match day, where your goal is for the event to run successfully. But getting there is far from easy. I seemed to fail quite a few objectives along the way, and the ‘Game Over’ screen appeared one too many times for my liking.
A Great Concept Held Back By The Controls
And I feel like I’m always moaning about this, but the transition from PC to console isn’t always smooth when it comes to management games. Here, while the controls do work, they never feel as fluid or intuitive as I would have like. Laying down paths or placing vendors can feel overly complicated and occasionally frustrating. I think once you get used to it after a few hours, things improve, but many players may have stopped playing by then. Which is a shame, because there is something original and interesting about both the concept and its execution.
The visuals are my favourite part of the game, as the city really does feel alive with excitement. Watching supporters rushing around gives you a real sense of anticipation. Copa City looks good, with strong lighting throughout, even if the camera can be frustrating at times. You can also recognise some of the real-world locations, which is a nice touch.
Audio-wise, it’s mostly about the sound effects, and they do a solid job without ever being spectacular. I would suggest putting your favourite football playlist on while playing, though.
A Fresh Take On Football Management
The developers of Copa City deserve plenty of praise for coming up with such an original idea for a management sim, especially one that I don’t think has really been explored before. It’s a deep game with a lot to get your head around, even after the tutorial. The thing is, I wanted to like it more than I did, hampered by controls that never felt quite as intuitive as I would have liked. Unfortunately, if I wasn’t on the review train, I feel I would have drifted away sooner.
Yes, the visuals are nice, even if the camera can be a bit of a pain, but if you’ve ever wondered how a huge football tournament comes together behind the scenes, Copa City offers an interesting glimpse into the work that makes match day happen.
Important Links
Copa City Turns Football Into A City-Building Challenge – https://www.thexboxhub.com/copa-city-turns-football-into-a-city-building-challenge/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/copa-city/9N5NHD8SRBW1/0010
