UFL Review – A Solid Foundation

In August 2021, Strikerz Inc. announced its newest football game, UFL. The game was advertised as a football title based on team-building and skill. The developers even sported a creative motto, “Fair-to-play,” which is a direct response to EA Sports’ egregious microtransactions in its FIFA Ultimate Team mode.

UFL takes the Ultimate Team formula, removes the pay-to-win aspect, and promotes simple gameplay for anyone to play. However, is UFL a suitable competitor to take EAFC‘s throne? Let’s find out. Here is our SGO review of UFL.

UFL Review

In Strikerz Inc’s free-to-play football game, players are tasked with building their dream team and competing in matches. UFL is pretty straightforward; play matches, score goals, and acquire currency to buy more players and customize your club.

As I stated, the game takes on the FIFA Ultimate Team formula without the added incentive of real-world money on packs that randomize players. The only time players are suggested to spend real money is on skins, which is completely optional.

Gameplay

One of the biggest worries for me when it comes to football games outside of EAFC is the gameplay. However, UFL’s gameplay is pretty good and has gotten better since its beta stages. In my preview of the game, I stated that the gameplay falls between PES and EAFC.

However, After playing the game at full release, I feel like it’s more reminiscent of PES games than FIFA. While players move robotic, the gameplay is still smooth and easy to learn. Of course, Strikerz Inc. doesn’t have the same resources as a massive company like EA Sports, so UFL‘s lack of animations is easily noticeable if you are coming from EAFC.

Another improvement from the beta I’ve noticed is the defending. During the game’s beta phase, defending was wildly inconsistent. But now it’s tight and more responsive. Defending with a footballer that is a good tackler ensures secure tackles in and around the box.

The passing and dribbling remind me of PES so much. But, that is not a bad thing, the game has a great balance between power and accuracy when it comes to passing. Harder passes take a bit more skill and accuracy to be successful, and easy passes are crisp and smooth. The overall gameplay improved from the game’s beta and it’s fun to jump into.

Team Building

At its core, UFL is a competitive football title that applies the ‘Ultimate Team’ concept to a fair space. Players can freely build their teams with no incentive to pay real-world money. Building a team is pretty straightforward: play games, earn currency, and buy better players.

However, what makes UFL unique is that as players use their squad, footballers get better and even gain skill points. This feature ensures that players get the most out of their footballers and craft them to suit their style.

Tactics

UFL is pretty surface-level when it comes to tactics. Players can pick one of three formations at the beginning of their game and pick from a simple list of options from the tactics menu. There are three options for both defense and offense and a few options for player roles.

This is very underwhelming given that there are games like EAFC or Football Manager with deeper customization of tactics. However, since UFL is free-to-play, the developers can still update the game with deeper tactics, but at launch, there is more to be desired.

Presentation

UFL is a great-looking game and the stadiums are beautiful. Players resemble their real-life counterparts and the atmosphere is passable.

The only negative I have about the presentation is the dry and confusing commentary. The commentator criticizes you for not progressing the ball after a few backward passes. They also discuss topics or tell stories that have no relevance or insight into the current match. It’s more of an annoyance than an insightful addition to the game’s overall presentation.

Verdict

UFL builds a solid foundation for its future. The gameplay is good and easy to pick up. The game’s overall premise is fun and competitive. Players who want to get away from EAFC’s predatory Ultimate Team will feel right at home here. However, with the lack of offline modes and depth in tactics, UFL is more of a fun football title for the casual fan than a game suited to threaten EAFC‘s throne.