Football, Tactics & Glory

89%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,504 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • grinding
Football, Tactics & Glory Game Cover
Football, Tactics & Glory is a simple management sim with a unique footballing twist that doesn't quite work. It needs more depth and polish to really shine.
Starting at $24.99Buy now
Get on Steam

Football, Tactics & Glory combines strategy and football management into one game. You lead an unknown club to world football fame by making strategic decisions, competing in tactical matches, and leveling up your players. Inspired by features from XCOM and Football Manager, you can build your squad, buy and sell players, and manage club development.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

89%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,504 reviews
gameplay93 positive mentions
grinding36 negative mentions
  • Unique blend of turn-based strategy and football management, providing a refreshing gameplay experience.
  • Engaging and addictive, with a strong 'just one more match' feeling that keeps players coming back.
  • Active developer support with regular updates and community engagement, enhancing the overall experience.
  • RNG mechanics can feel frustrating and unbalanced, leading to unpredictable outcomes that may detract from strategic planning.
  • Player progression can be slow, making it difficult to build a competitive team without significant grinding.
  • Limited depth in management features compared to traditional football management games, which may disappoint some players.
  • gameplay309 mentions

    The gameplay of "Football, Tactics & Glory" is characterized by its unique turn-based mechanics that blend football management with strategic gameplay, offering a deep yet accessible experience. Players appreciate the addictive core loop of team development and match tactics, although some find the gameplay can become repetitive over time. The tutorial is extensive, helping new players grasp the mechanics, but the game can feel slow and overly reliant on RNG, which may frustrate some users. Overall, it strikes a balance between casual enjoyment and strategic depth, making it appealing for both football fans and strategy game enthusiasts.

    • “The gameplay is simple on the surface but as you progress becomes more tactically and strategically deep, which keeps you engaged for (far too many) hours.”
    • “The gameplay is a strategic symphony where your team's development mirrors an epic journey.”
    • “The gameplay is incredibly fun and addictive.”
    • “The vanilla version of this game is the absolute worst; there is a game mechanic within vanilla that makes it almost unplayable.”
    • “The gameplay is boring after the first few games and very repetitive.”
    • “Unfortunately, having tried the game, I can't recommend it; the club management and RPG elements are fine, but the actual football gameplay is flawed and repetitive.”
  • graphics77 mentions

    The game's graphics are generally described as clean, vibrant, and minimalistic, effectively supporting the gameplay without being overly complex. While some players find the art style cartoonish and basic, many appreciate its charm and accessibility, noting that it runs well even on lower-end hardware. Overall, the visuals are considered adequate for the game's purpose, enhancing the experience without overshadowing the strategic elements.

    • “The game’s visuals are clean and vibrant, making it easy to follow the action.”
    • “The graphics and sound are fab, you easily find yourself fully immersed looking for the next big transfer deal or bringing youths through your academy.”
    • “Very distinct visuals and personal traits make each of your footballers stand out in a way that's easy to manage in the middle of the action, but also in a way that gets you attached and involved with each of your members in a memorable way.”
    • “At first, I thought this was only a lite version of Football Manager, with a cartoonish art style and simple bare-bones RNG.”
    • “The graphics are very basic (you can turn off the animations to speed up gameplay), but the real fun lies in crunching the numbers.”
    • “The graphics and music are pretty much 'meh!', as in pretty bad, but don't matter anyway, and don't really influence my opinion of the game.”
  • grinding37 mentions

    The reviews highlight a significant grinding aspect in the game, with many players noting that it can feel repetitive and tedious, particularly during resource accumulation and team building. While some appreciate the depth and complexity without excessive micromanagement, others find the grind to be a major drawback, leading to a slow and often frustrating progression. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable management elements but is marred by a grindy experience that can detract from the fun.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It becomes very tedious when you're doing the same thing over and over for very little reward.”
    • “I dislike the grinding aspect; it took me 16 seasons to win the triple, and most of the seasons were just a repetitive struggle to earn resources and slowly build up the squad - no room for tactics, football, and midterm strategy in this aspect of the game.”
    • “The game is now absurdly grindy; most of the computer teams in your same division have several players worth more than your whole team.”
  • music33 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the soundtrack's atmosphere and emotional impact, particularly during menus and key moments. However, some find the tracks repetitive and suggest that they become tiresome after extended play, leading to a preference for turning the music off. Overall, while the sound design is generally well-received, there are calls for more variety and an official soundtrack release.

    • “The soundtrack and atmosphere in the game is chilling too.”
    • “The main bgm above the clouds is such a beautiful song by a beautiful voice from a beautiful singer.”
    • “Beautiful animation and fun music create an atmosphere for thinking further steps after another victory.”
    • “Sound is decent, though the songs it has get kind of old after the first few hours and I usually turn them off now.”
    • “While I'm definitely not a fan of the overly optimistic, sappy, and borderline cheesy car-commercial sound to the soundtrack here, I can absolutely see that a lot of work has gone into the sound production in this game.”
    • “Even at version 0.2 the game is perfectly playable, the looks and animations are excellent for a simple-graphics game, you'll probably want to turn off the repetitive music after a half an hour, but otherwise it's great fun.”
  • optimization17 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report excellent performance on lower-end hardware due to minimalist graphics, others experience significant lag and stuttering after extended play. Issues with AI behavior and performance metrics also detract from the experience, particularly for those playing on higher difficulty settings. Expansions have been criticized for further degrading performance, leading to frustration among players.

    • “Due to the graphics being minimalist, the performance of this title is excellent and even runs on my lowest hardware testbed that has onboard graphics with shared memory.”
    • “This game's base is solid and working, both performance and mechanic-wise.”
    • “Plus, there is a Steam Workshop and people are bringing optimizations for free.”
    • “However, it seems to have poor GPU optimization.”
    • “The game runs fine for about 30-45 minutes, but then it starts horribly lagging, leading to 5-10 fps stuttering.”
    • “Note: expansions are worthless since they destroy the experience by being extremely badly optimized.”
  • replayability16 mentions

    Overall, the game exhibits a mixed level of replayability. While many players praise its depth, variety of strategies, and the impact of DLCs and mods on replay value, some note that the experience can become repetitive after a few runs. The presence of RNG elements and multiple paths to victory contribute to a generally positive perception of replayability, making it appealing for those who enjoy experimenting with different tactics.

    • “The game offers a pretty deep tactical experience and gives players multiple paths to victory, so trying out new tactics, new strategies, and new players provides tons of replayability and reasons to keep coming back.”
    • “Overall, this is an excellent title with a ton of replayability.”
    • “Good depth with lots of replayability, supported by great mods.”
    • “The replay value is not the best as things happen mostly the same way.”
    • “So the replay value is like 3 runs, and maybe trying different leagues.”
    • “Replayability allows you to start over with a new club and try a different strategy.”
  • humor16 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players appreciating its quirky graphics, engaging gameplay, and the amusing randomness that can lead to unexpected moments. Many find the turn-based system and the lighthearted approach to football management refreshing and entertaining, making it one of the funniest games they've played in a long time. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with engaging mechanics, creating a fun experience for players.

    • “Bought this game because I have hundreds of hours in Football Manager, and the description made me laugh.”
    • “Scoring a last-minute winner feels amazing, and the funny little bighead graphics make your players' celebrations really endearing - more so than the weird uncanny valley smiles of FIFA players.”
    • “The most funny game I’ve played in a long time.”
  • story16 mentions

    The game's story serves primarily as a backdrop to the gameplay, focusing on the player's journey as an injured pro football player turned amateur league coach. While the narrative is not heavily emphasized, it provides context for the player's strategic decisions and experiences, allowing for emergent storytelling through gameplay. However, many players express a desire for a more developed campaign or story mode, as the current narrative elements feel limited and secondary to the mechanics.

    • “Really great mix of sports, strategy, and emergent storytelling.”
    • “The basic story is that the gamer is an injured pro football player who is offered the job as a manager.”
    • “It may not really be a football game; how I see it, football is just a way to justify the story, as the game mechanics don't have too much in common with real-life football.”
    • “The story takes a back seat to the gameplay, but there is a backstory behind why the player is coaching an amateur league.”
    • “It may not really be a football game; football is just a way to justify the story, as the game mechanics don't have too much in common with real-life football.”
    • “No real storyline feel and very limited options for customizations to 'create your own'.”
  • monetization12 mentions

    The monetization model of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players frustrated by the presence of mandatory ads and DLC that locks gameplay behind additional purchases. While the absence of microtransactions is appreciated, many feel that the requirement to buy previous expansions to access new content feels exploitative. Overall, the game is likened to a polished mobile freemium experience, but players suggest it would be better suited as a free-to-play title.

    • “At least until licensed football games get their act together, this is a great unlicensed alternative with no microtransactions to get in the way of the fun!”
    • “I do of course approve of the developers excluding the microtransactions and the care they have taken in refining their product to be presented in a concise and easy-to-use package.”
    • “No microtransactions”
    • “If you're okay with the practices described above (gameplay gate locked behind DLC and in-game advertising), I suggest that you watch a gameplay video (or a really big discount) before making the purchase.”
    • “What's even more disgusting is the fact that to be able to enjoy the upcoming expansion, you have to buy the previous one, which is another cash grab, leaving no freedom for the consumer and forcing them to buy everything.”
    • “I like the game, but after the latest update, I cannot remove ads from the game.”
  • stability6 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while it runs well on Linux and shows signs of thoughtful development, users have reported minor glitches and significant issues following the recent DLC, "Manager's Journey." The tutorial can also be complicated and buggy for newcomers, but many players appreciate the learning mechanics.

    • “Runs great on Linux through Proton.”
    • “Technically, the game runs great.”
    • “The tutorial can be tricky and buggy, a bit overcomplicated for new beginners, but I like the idea of learning new stuff as the calendar goes by.”
    • “Since the DLC 'Manager's Journey', the game has become a bug-ridden mess.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Players appreciate the emotional impact of the game, noting that losing cups instead of permanently losing soldiers creates a more manageable emotional burden. The thrill of achieving a last-minute victory, such as scoring a crucial header, evokes strong feelings of nostalgia and joy, reminiscent of childhood gaming experiences.

    • “Losing cups instead of permanent death of soldiers offers a better emotional punishment to players.”
    • “It's great when you make that last-ditch attempt to win at 2-2; getting that 40% header in is a great feeling, almost makes you want to cry.”
    • “Brilliant and made me feel like I was a kid playing Championship Manager again!”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a chilling soundtrack and beautiful animations, which together create an engaging environment that encourages players to strategize after each victory.

    • “Beautiful animation and fun music create an atmosphere that encourages players to think about their next steps after each victory.”
    • “The soundtrack and atmosphere in the game are chilling.”
    • “The overall ambiance feels flat and uninspired.”
    • “The game lacks a cohesive atmosphere, making it hard to immerse myself.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

50% average critic score

Buy Football, Tactics & Glory

Play time

22hMedian play time
123hAverage play time
6-130hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 19 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News