Football games which focus on one very small part of the sport have been in vogue in the App Store recently.
Most of them have tested players’ ability in deadball situations, requiring gamers to flick the ball around a wall into the net or score from the penalty spot.
Volley Soccer from White Room Games takes a different approach to these mini skills games on iPhone and iPod Touch, setting the task of smashing the ball into the net as it’s crossed into the box.
You play as the number nine for your chosen country out of the eight nations available.
For each game you start with 10 attempts on goal but more can be earned by doing well.
Each round of the game starts with a short countdown.
After this you must use the virtual d-pad to move your player into a target area inside the goalmouth.
As the ball appears from the right-hand side of the screen you hit the volley button to strike it.
The direction of each shot is determined by the position of the ball when the volley button is tapped.
Points are awarded for each goal scored.
Volley Soccer is reasonably good fun for a while but soon loses its appeal.
Overhead kicks, chest traps and volleys feature in the game but the type of shot is chosen by the game.
This means that while good timing and concentration are required, there is very little actual skill involved.
As well as not being able to pick where to position your player or what kind of kick to attempt, there is also no control over shot power. It’s literally only the direction that can be controlled, and even this feels a bit random sometimes.
There are three difficulty settings but there isn’t much difference between them.
Volley Soccer is a one-trick pony and a pretty simplistic one at that. With no variation in gameplay, it soon gets repetitive.
Goalkeepers are rubbish and there are no defenders, so the challenge never increases.
The overall pace of the game is slow. It’s too stop-and-start, which means there is no tension and the game lacks that addictive quality which titles like this need to hold players’ attention.
Graphics are OK but nothing special. This game lacks the charm and flair of footy mini game leader Flick Kick Football.
Animations seem quite sluggish and laboured. Player movement is a little awkward and ball physics doesn’t feel natural.
More annoying, the results of some shots don’t match what actually appears to happen on the screen. There have been times when the game’s flashed up that a shot has been saved when it’s looked as though the ball has gone in. On other occasions the game has told me a shot has gone wide or hit the post but the action hasn’t really reflected this.
The in-game commentary is another irritation. The audio is very low quality and also repetitive, delivered in a Brummie accent which starts to grate quite quickly.
The premise of the game is sound but unfortunately the execution hits the crossbar rather than the back of the net.
Verdict: 4 out of 10 – Deserves credit for trying to be different, but falls short on delivering fun and addictive gameplay.
Watch a trailer for Volley Soccer:
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