Kopanito All-Stars Soccer Preview

In videogames, football's become a completely strait-laced affair as of late. Sensible Soccer is long gone, Fifa Street's more or less in the ground, and This is Football (a serious sim with some more left-field elements like school leagues, jumpers for goalposts mode, and fictional teams) is never coming back. The face of football in games is grey and dead-eyed, and it's wearing an EA sponsorship with glum acceptance. However, this looks to change radically with Kopanito All-Stars Soccer, a football game with colour in more than one sense.

If the Fifa series is Gran Turismo or WWE 2K, Kopanito is Mario Kart and WWE All-Stars, putting an outlandish twist on an old game. Structurally, it's a 6 on 6 game of football where you have to get past the opposing team, find the gap, and score, with the opportunities for throw ins and corners present, meaning the game has some semblance of reality. However, where the game finds its own style is in the presentation of the super-deformed chibified players, power-ups, and forceful, lightning-quick tackles. Mario Kart seems like an off-hand inspiration, but Kopanito's true next of kin is NBA Jam.

Veering to the arcade side of the 'arcade/simulation' axis, the action in Kopanito All-Stars Soccer will be fast-paced, where matches, by default, last for five minutes (2.5 per half) and in that time, the ball can careen all over the pitch at pinball speed. This leads to a game where players have to think about their next move in order to clear the opponent's defensive line, while also reacting fast. This won't be a game where you can dawdle up and down the pitch: you need to run fast, dribble well, tackle hard, and use your power-ups effectively.

These power-ups give Kopanito its own identity, and set the tone for the entire game, which looks quite enticing at this point. These power-ups are outlandish and tongue-in-cheek, such as a giant fan positioned behind the net to stop balls getting in, a magnet that automatically hands you the ball, and a nuclear kick that shoots the ball with tremendous force, among others. These power-ups lend the game an adorable aesthetic and bags of fun.

Looking most impressive right now is Kopanito's graphical style. As previously mentioned, the game (so far) looks very cute, and this extends to the little men on the field, whose animation style is like that of South Park, yet much smoother looking, with big, exaggerated faces, eyes, and noses. It also makes great use of colour; everything bursts off the screen, which will be a sight for sore eyes if you're sick of the more muted palettes of sports games. If nothing else, Kopanito will be nice to look at when it comes out.

The range of teams set to be included in the game is impressive. Kopanito will include about 100 of the world's international teams; the early version that we got our gloves on contained less accomplished teams like Belize, American Samoa, Vanuatu, and Wales, but all the 'locked' spaces in the game indicate that more interesting teams turn up. Indeed, the game features a tournament called the Oceania Cup, in which Australia presides over it, implying that more teams may come to light as the game gets a full release.

Kopanito looks to be quite a rich and full game, even at this stage of development. The core match mechanics might make a solid game of its own, but it looks to be packed with tournaments to take on to occupy players, in the vein of Mario Kart's cups; so at least you'll be kept busy.

What is most enticing about the game at this stage of development are the opportunities for modding. Developers MerixGames note that balls, stadiums and teams can be changed right now – so if you don't like international teams, you could edit in your favourite clubs, be it those in the top four flights of English football, or the crème de la crème of Europe. Kopanito looks very open and this aspect of the game will no doubt entice fans later on.

A fast-paced football game with a cute edge and room for customisation? This one might be heading right for the back of the net.