Foosball or table football doesn’t seem to be very popular these days but I remember spending hours playing it when I was a kid.
The problem was that one of the table legs would be wobbly or one of the player rails would jam up or there would be an area of the table where the ball wouldn’t roll smoothly.
These issues don’t apply in virtual foosball played on electronic gadgets such as the iPhone and iPod Touch, meaning I can enjoy table football all over again.
It’s obviously not quite the same as spinning players around with my hands but at the same time it’s also not as frustrating.
The latest foosball game to come along is simply called Foosball, from the fantastic Swedish developer Illusion Labs.
This game turns any iPhone/iPod Touch into a computerised table football arena.
Matches can be played against the AI on any of three difficulty settings, or between two human players competing on the same device. First one to score five goals wins.
Everything in the game is controlled by touch.
Controlling the players takes some getting used to but once it clicks it becomes intuitive.
I’ve found playing Foosball with my iPod in the vertical position is better than horizontal.
To slide a rail put a finger on the screen near it and move it left or right.
To kick the ball swipe your finger up or down.
The good thing is the device doesn’t need to be flat to be able to play Foosball. You can play table football sitting down, standing up or laying in bed!
Despite the small size of the iPhone/iPod screen the single-player mode presents no visibility problems and there is no issue with fingers obstructing the view. It’s easy to get around the table and to see what’s going on.
In two-player mode it gets a little more complicated. Each player has their own designated touch zone covering half the screen, but it still gets quite cluttered with both players leaning over the device and moving fingers around. It’s not a major problem though and the game still works very well with two people.
The foosball table looks authentic on the iPhone/iPod. The players feel appropriately weighted and the ball moves around very believably.
Playing table football on these devices is just good simple fun, exactly like it is in the real thing. It requires quick reactions, good co-ordination, some skill and a bit of luck as the ball ricochets around the table.
With games including Touchgrind and Sway, Illusion Labs has become one of my favourite game makers.
Foosball is up to the developer’s usual high standards of design and playability.
It’s a great game to pick up when you want to relive those childhood foosball playing glory days or do battle against a friend.
The game would benefit from a bit of variety such as leagues or tournaments, or possibly just customisable table and player colours, but as it stands this game provides excellent value at just 59p and it’s well worth grabbing from the App Store.
Verdict: 8 out of 10 – Does exactly what it sets out to do – providing a quick-fire, fun, miniature version of foosball.
Watch a trailer of Foosball:
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