Football Game (Switch) review "Homecoming or homegoing?"

Football Game isn't a sports title. Given its generic moniker and status as an indie, faux-retro offering, you'd think its developers sought to put together a love letter to titles like 10-Yard Fight or Tecmo Super Bowl. Straight away, the game launches its first of many deceptions, this time by playing on your expectations. Given its name, you'd hardly expect it to be a dark point-and-click adventure game with horror/thriller elements. Yet, here we are...

Here we are, waking up in teenager Tommy's bed room. The game's murky, dingy appearance gives you the impression that Tommy's going to be in for the fight of his life, as if some unknown assailant is going to chase him because that's how games in this category roll. You also anticipate this affair to draw heavily from Clock Tower due to its cursor-based mechanics. You can just imagine Tommy hiding in a closet or shower while an undead football player searches for him.

However, that's not the game you receive. Instead, you embark on a tale about a boy wanting very much to go to a school football game because A) he claims to be on the team, and B) his girlfriend Suzy will be there, and he's hopes to give her a gift. The thing is something about his home life and the preliminary events seems, well, off. His house gives off a foreboding vibe, his mother regards him with caution, and for some reason she's hidden Suzy's gift. Your early efforts involve finding a way out of the house without your mother's knowledge, as well as securing the now-hidden present.



Right away, gears turn in your head. Why was it hidden? What happened in Tommy's household that everything feels like he's ambling around in a terrible dream? You learn more as you advance to the school and kick off more pieces of this short puzzle.

Characters drop all kinds of hints, cutscenes reveal veiled truths you may have suspected, and the game delves further into territory you feared might be true. More than anything, though, you begin to realize this isn't a Clock Tower clone or your run-of-the-mill "run away from the monster" piece. Rather, it's a slow-burn examination of a potentially deranged mind, where segments strip away layers to reveal additional info about the characters and their relations.

And if you're like me, you somehow feel relieved. You've played your share of "run away" titles that a work like this feels like a breath of fresh air. You don't run afoul of overt scares or jolts here, but witness deeper and more disturbing sequences that have a habit of sticking with you. At the piece's core, it's not the supernatural that causes you concern. In other words, this is yet another story that reminds us that sometimes there are no worse monsters than humans.

You don't hide from a maniac wielding a sharp object, but plow through several inventory puzzles, most of which require you to observe just the right things in your environment while remembering what info different NPCs have offered up. Each reveals something they're after, be it a cigarette or a snack, and you have to figure out how to supply these needs in a way that benefits you and gets you closer to Suzy.



I'm of two minds about the quality of the puzzles on offer. On one hand, simplicity allows you to advance through the campaign more quickly. Really, a game like this shouldn't last more than an hour or two, lest it begin to feel like it's padded out with unnecessary details and false depth. Thanks to this ease, you roll more smoothly through this one and avoid stumbling through a stretched-out mess. However, there's no denying that the title's lenient challenge factor leads to less engaging segments. At times, you feel like you're just going through motions so you can advance more of the plot.

At last, the final cutscenes play out, and the game hits you with more implications. It leaves you to arrive at your own conclusions, almost certain you're going to assume the worst. Its biggest deceptions come to light, even if they aren't absolutely spelled out for you. The game offers one last striking, suggestive image and then concludes. If you were looking for a horror game with more traditional content, you'll probably throw your hands up and say, "That's it?" However, if you aimed for something to break away from the expected routes, you'll probably be blown away.

As I've indicated, Football Game isn't your typical scare fare. It's the kind of thing people would refer to as "more of a thriller" when they don't want to admit they liked a horror story. If you're in the mood for something dark, simple, and short, this one might be up your creepy alley. Just bear in mind that you won't be running away or getting hit with jump scares or complex challenges.

Staff review by Joseph Shaffer (October 09, 2025) Rumor has it that Joe is not actually a man, but a machine that likes video games, horror movies, and long walks on the beach. His/Its first contribution to HonestGamers was a review of Breath of Fire III.