The start of the new footballing season has been tough for D-League team, Bazooka FC even though the team won its opening match 1-0. Striker Pedro was the man-of-the-match after netting the only goal. A pay dispute ripped through the team right after the first match, resulting in the first team being benched by coach John and a group of second-stringers led by goalkeeper Rachel were beaten in an away match 0-1.

The team’s losing form has continued in their 3rd and 4th matches respectively at the narrowest of margins. The lack of drains in their home ground Celcius Arena has led to water-clogged pitch, much to the detriment of the team’s performance at home. With the team morale reportedly in shambles, it remains to be seen whether Bazooka FC can turn their season around.

Fancy Being The Next Mikel Arteta?

Or will you end up like Antonio Conte? BATOVI Games’ Pixel Cup Soccer – Ultimate Edition’s Career Mode sees you taking on the role of the team manager managing your motley team through the bottom leagues and up. This is done by navigating demands from players and the team’s board of directors, while ensuring that your club’s finances, team morale, squad rotation, tactics and skill upgrades are on-point in your attempt to win matches.

The A.I in Pixel Cup Soccer is no push-over, even when the difficulty level is set to Easy, and you’ll definitely need to make full use of what the controls have to offer in order to overcome the opposition. If the Career Mode is not your cup of tea, Pixel Cup Soccer offers up Tournaments and Friendly Matches for a more pick-up-and-play experience; you can even start a Party Tournament with your friends.

Easter Eggs

An interesting thing about the Tournament Mode is that it is possible to play as my favourite football team, the English Premier League team, Arsenal. I’m not sure whether the game is a licensed EPL title, but you can definitely find the team as the Gunner (yup, it’s their real-life nickname), under one of the tounament’s teams. Players such as Bukayo (Saka), Thomas (Partey), Granit (Xhaka) and Gabriel (Jesus) are all in the game!

You can find the likes of Liverpool, under the guise as M.Side Reds, Chelsea (as Blues) and Barcelona (as FC Cataluna) in the game.

Retro is the New Black

The matches themselves are reminiscent of games such as FIFA 96, but in colourful, cartoonish 2D pixel graphics with retro-styled arcade gameplay. Players can unleash special moves throughout the pitch, sprint and even leave opponents stunned at failed tackles. The matches take place in dynamic stadium environments where the weather and pitch conditions can affect the match’s outcome. For example, a water-logged pitch will prevent the ball from travelling very far especially when you like using short passes.

Take the Game on the Go

While it’s possible to play the game with a keyboard, Pixel Cup Soccer is best experienced with a game controller. In this case, I’m using a Xbox Wireless Controller. I’m also happy to report that the game is Verified for the Steam Deck, and the control scheme makes use of the additional button that the mobile console’s back grip buttons.

Pixel Cup Soccer – Ultimate Edition is one game that’s difficult to put down once you get started, especially when you are a soccer fan. It’s an excellent change of pace to the FIFAs and PES titles out in the market. We rate it at a highly recommended 4/5. The game is available on Steam for USD 16.99, you can check it out over here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1620540/Pixel_Cup_Soccer__Ultimate_Edition/