Football isn’t just about the World Cup, the Euros, the Copa América, the FA Cup, or even about Liverpool putting aside 30 years of hurt to finally be crowned champions of the English game. You see, off the pitch, and away from the adoring crowds, is a scene that focuses firmly on the skills of one person, as they attempt to showcase their ball skills and prove to the world that there is more to football than just scoring screamers from 30 yards.
And that is where the teams at SFL Interactive, Gamajun Games and their publishers Maximum Games come in, delivering a new IP that focuses totally on the world of the freestyler; the Panna king; the skills of the street footballer. Think you’ve got the skills to pay the bills? Street Power Football on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC is going to be for you.
Marketed around the globe as Street Power Football in most parts of the world – aside from in the North American region where the exact same game will be sold as Street Power Soccer – we recently got invited to a hands-off gameplay presentation of Street Power Football by the teams behind it. And after spending a decent amount of time taking in everything that is promised, we’re pretty certain that the premise and ideas behind it will be hugely anticipated by many.
So, as the name suggests Street Power Football works a completely different angle to the usual football games that we have grown to know and love. Whilst FIFA and PES have consistently provided gamers with simulations of the beautiful game, Street Power Football is all about showing off your skills, letting you work your way through no less than six different game modes. Each of these will require a different skillset, and a different mindset too, yet there is nearly always one similar goal – humiliate and embarrass your opponent, leaving them on the floor as your status in the scene grows.
Created in Unreal Engine, and having been in development for a couple of years, Street Power Football wants you to have fun, and it allows this by providing a full-on arcade-styled experience that is bursting with colour, vibrant visuals and tons of style.
Fully motion-captured character movement will let you focus efforts on allowing you the chance to become a street king, as those behind Street Power Football have been working with some of the biggest names in the street game, no less than 25 freestylers and street players, in fact. Séan Garnier is the leading light in a world full of superstars and ambassadors, but the world’s best known, greatest urban baller isn’t the only star to help the game appeal to the masses. We’ll also be seen going up against, and taking on the role of, the UK’s Andrew Henderson and Liv Cooke, JaviFreestyle from Spain, Raquel Benetti from Brazil and the US’s Daniel Got Hits. There will be more too.
It has to be said that some of these names may not be well known in most households – and honestly, I’d only previously heard of a few – and chances are that if you aren’t one who is frequently found rolling around YouTube wormholes then you may have never heard of these guys. However, once you’ve spent a bit of time with Street Power Football’s career, competition and multiple game modes, this names will be rolling off your tongue like a ball down the spine, across the back of your neck, and along the arm.
The real fun in Street Power Football though comes from the multitude of game modes. The ‘Become a King’ story mode will probably be the go-to for many, as you utilise your skills and bat off all-comers in your quest for utter glory. But then sitting pretty alongside that are many other ideas that need a variety of skills in order for you to gain success.
Panna Cage Battles will let you pull off nutmeg after nutmeg, humiliating your opponents, Trick Shot opportunities will provide a different test of skills and focus as you take aim at many different targets, whilst full 3v3 Street Power matches, Freestyle, and Elimination modes pretty much do as they say on the tin. Just expect to spend a large degree of your time with Street Power Football pulling off special signature moves – like going ‘Around The World’ with Liv, for instance. Nearly everything you will do works via a combination of face buttons and thumbstick movements, and gathering up enough power-ups and super powers until your fingers start to bleed is seemingly par for the course. Thankfully, in order to allow for both freestyle fans and regular gamers to enjoy what is found within, a super deep, well-worked tutorial is in place, happily detailing all the relevant info and just how to pull off the huge array of tricks and skills that have been included.
Throw in the chance to play alone, with others locally or via online services, at 13 different locations from around the world, and with a host of customisable items like tattoos, emotes and graffiti drops it’s easy to see how Street Power Football and what has been created by SFL Interactive and Gamajun Games is so exciting. It is certainly something different, something totally unique and something that will appeal to a mass of gamers who adore and worship the skills of the best ballers in the world.
With a summer 2020 release date planned for Street Power Football on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC, and many more ideas and features planned for post-launch – including the addition of ever-changing challenges and further DLC pieces to keep things fresh – this is certainly one to put on your release radar.
Huge thanks go out to the teams at SFL Interactive, Gamajun Games and Maximum Games for giving us the opportunity to see Street Power Football – or Street Power Soccer depending on your global location – in action. We’ll be sure to continue providing you development updates as more features are announced – ahead of that August 25th 2020 release date on PC and console. Expect to find it available in both physical and digital form, whilst Wishlisting it on Steam is a definite possibility. It’ll be well worth your time taking in the trailers below too.
