NaturalMotion Games’ NFL Rivals for the iPhone doesn’t stray much from the gameplay formula set by its predecessor, Icebreaker Hockey. The game couples really amazing looking graphics with puzzle-like gameplay but in an American Football setting. The levels are divided into two types, offense and defense.

In the case of the former, players juke, truck, spin or sprint their way to a touchdown, and in the latter, they’ll need to evade players while looking to prevent the running back from scoring a touchdown by either trucking into him….or giving him a bone crunching tackle (which surprisingly is veryyyy statisfying)


The controls are similar to that of Icebreaker Hockey in which they are arranged at the bottom of the screen and are clearly marked on their functionality. There are certain zones that you can through on your way to your objective in order to get bonus points. Players can activate the swagger function just before touchdown to get extra points as well. Be warned though, stop swaggering before you touchdown will count as a NEGATIVE! LOL

One key area of advancement that makes NFL Rivals step out of the shadows of its predecessor would be the global rankings. Choosing your team and playing would mean that your scores will be uploaded to your team’s global ranking. NFL Rivals does this with great aplomb and all 32 NFL teams are featured in this game.


There’s also the Gameday feature in which players get to play with the team’s actual weekly schedule, turning real life rivalries into actual gameplay challenges. To top it up, the game also features online leaderboards for your player character and a whole bunch of achievements courtesy of Game Center. NFL Rivals improves on the concept introduced in Icebreaker Hockey and it is on its way to be one of the classics of NFL Football on the iPhone. Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates NFL Rivals at a 4.5 out of 5. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The game is available on the iTunes App Store for USD 0.99. Check it out over here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nfl-rivals/id452220947?mt=8. Full Disclaimer: A review code was provided to Nine Over Ten 9/10 for the purpose of this review.