NFL Rivals - Football Game | Game Brain

About

NFL Rivals - Football Manager is a sport game that offers arcade-style football gameplay using digital NFL Player Cards. The game boasts excellent visuals and hilarious moments, but can be very grinding and buggy. Overall, it's a unique football manager experience that allows you to collect and compete with your favorite NFL players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,234 reviews

gameplay58 positive mentions

monetization46 negative mentions

The game is fun and easy to play, making it a great way to pass the time.
Graphics and gameplay are enjoyable, reminiscent of classic arcade football games.
The ability to collect and upgrade players adds depth and excitement to the gameplay.

The game is heavily pay-to-win, making it difficult for free-to-play players to compete.
Recent updates have introduced bugs and glitches, causing crashes and loss of progress.
Limited play options and the inability to play defense detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
150 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
50%
11%
The gameplay is generally described as fun and engaging, with a mix of arcade-style mechanics and digital card collection, though many users express frustration with clunky controls, inconsistent passing mechanics, and a lack of depth in play options. While some appreciate the ability to customize and upgrade teams, others criticize the game's heavy reliance on microtransactions and the AI's poor decision-making, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel repetitive and shallow. Overall, while the core mechanics have potential, significant improvements are needed to enhance the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is well done.”
- “It's a simple fun basic game that allows you to build a roster and improve your team slowly in ways that you can feel during gameplay.”
- “Very fun gameplay with progress that isn't too bad for free-to-play games, but the game is getting a bit more glitchy.”
- “The gameplay loop is bad; you get 1 possession a quarter and can't control your defense.”
- “I wish things were more affordable for the average person, but I guess that's greed. If they'd quit being greedy and make things more reasonably priced for the average person, and fix gameplay, it'd be 5 stars.”
- “The gameplay is painfully slow, and the game is very in your face about microtransactions.”
graphics
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
32%
5%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising their quality and style, describing them as "great," "amazing," and "cool." However, some users report issues such as lag, choppy performance, and a lack of customization options, which detracts from the overall experience. While the graphics are generally well-received, there are calls for improvements and more settings to enhance performance.
- “Great game, graphics, and I haven't seen any ads yet, 5-star game for sure.”
- “Awesome game, graphics are on point and gameplay is phenomenal.”
- “The graphics are done really well.”
- “First of all, the jersey graphics aren't working; every player on the field is black and I can't tell who is who once the plays started.”
- “Graphics are PS1 level; I don't get to play defense (like it's not even a choice), I can only pick from three plays on offense and the passing mechanism sucks!”
- “The graphics and controls are some of the clunkiest I have seen in a mobile game about football.”
monetization
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
12%
67%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users labeling it a "cash grab" due to the heavy reliance on microtransactions for competitive play. While some players appreciate the absence of intrusive ads and find the game enjoyable without spending money, others criticize the high costs of in-game purchases and the perceived necessity to buy packs to succeed. Overall, the game is seen as fun but heavily monetized, leading to frustration among players who feel pressured to spend to remain competitive.
- “Great app, no ads, and pay to compete is optional, or just play without paying and pick your favorite team and draft high-caliber players within a very short amount of time.”
- “I've only spent $1.99 on in-game purchases and my team does pretty well.”
- “I have been playing for 2 weeks now and I love it; you don't have to buy the in-game purchases to be able to unlock everything and it's lots of fun with fair gameplay.”
- “The monetization and pay-to-win is through the roof, which is to be expected with a 'freemium' game.”
- “Just a blatant cash grab.”
- “The developers claim they are getting the game ready for full launch during the NFL season, but in reality they are completely neglecting gameplay in favor of deploying weekly monetization experiments to sell things that should be part of regular play.”
stability
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
98%
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with frequent reports of freezing, crashing, and various glitches that disrupt gameplay. Many players experience issues during critical moments, such as redeeming rewards or navigating menus, leading to frustration and loss of progress. While some users find the game enjoyable despite these problems, the overall consensus is that the stability issues need urgent attention to enhance the gaming experience.
- “It's a fun game for me; there are no glitches, and I get good packs.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate the stability of the game; it rarely lags or freezes.”
- “I've been experiencing several issues with this game recently; cards won't fuse together, glitches while trying to pass, and it crashes.”
- “Game freezes mid-game, kicks you out, you lose your progress, and have to start the game over.”
- “However, the tons of glitches, bugs, and crashing make it too annoying to play.”
humor
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting the amusing touchdown celebrations and funny graphics that enhance the overall experience. Many reviews emphasize the game's fun factor, describing it as both entertaining and humorous, making it enjoyable to play and watch. However, some users also mention issues with bugs and glitches, which detract from the comedic experience.
- “It's so fun and funny to play and watch.”
- “When you get a touchdown, the player that did a touchdown does a cool funny celebration.”
- “This game is sooooo fun that I can't even explain, but it's so funny about the touchdown dances 😂”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
The reviews highlight that the game involves significant grinding, often leading to repetitive gameplay and a lack of diversity in strategies. While players can build strong teams through dedication, many express frustration with the grindiness and the pressure to engage in microtransactions to enhance their experience. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable for NFL fans who appreciate the grind, but it risks becoming tedious for others.
- “Very repetitive, can't change plays, and minimum 10 bucks for an okay player. Decent game but a money chaser. Also, you get rewards where you wait a week to 2 months to receive, kinda shady. Could be a decent game if fixed, but it's a very heavy farming game where you call the same 10 plays over and over and have the same results 9 out of 10 times.”
- “Not a bad game, but I feel like it's lacking diversity and seems quite grindy, forcing players into micro-transactions.”
- “Losing all the grinding I put in sucks, and now I have to reload the game twice to play!”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The story aspect of the game has received criticism for its frustrating mission structure, particularly the requirement to sell players for mission completion, which often leads to unregistered progress and unmet rewards. Players express dissatisfaction with the lack of acknowledgment for their efforts, undermining the overall enjoyment of the game. Despite these issues, some users still find the quests engaging and fun.
- “Great app! Fun and challenging, with the best quests. Getting new people and just having fun is what this game is all about.”
- “It's really terrible to make us sell a player on the market for a mission, especially since we need them for synergy and everything else. It's even worse to sell the player and not have the mission register.”
- “The review will not change until you reward players for selling their players and then not allowing our missions to complete.”
- “Over and over again, I complete the shakers' missions, and I do not receive my rewards or upgraded players.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's optimization appears inconsistent, with some players experiencing stuttering and freezing issues even on high-end devices, while others report smooth performance and no bugs. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable, but performance stability varies significantly across different users.
- “This game is really enjoyable; the performance seems to be a little up and down on this patch, but the gameplay is great so far, sort of a combination of NFL Blitz and Retro Bowl.”
- “It's funny, it runs smoothly, not to mention the celebration for a touchdown, and I haven't encountered any bugs yet.”
- “The game won't play without stuttering and freezing, even on a good phone like the S20 Ultra.”
- “The optimization is so poor that it makes the game nearly unplayable.”
- “I experience constant lag and frame drops, which ruins the overall experience.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The music in the game is noted as a pleasant addition to the overall experience, but some users feel it lacks impactful tracks, wishing for a more engaging soundtrack. While the game is well-designed and enjoyable, the music could benefit from more memorable or "banger" songs to enhance the gameplay.
- “The design, rewards, upgrades, challenges, music, teams, seasons, NFTs, etc. It's a well-designed mobile experience.”
- “I love this game! It's like Retro Bowl but updated and more fun; I just wish the soundtrack had some bangers on it.”