Super Soccer Blast: America VS Europe Review (Switch eShop)

The heavily delayed Euro 2024 tournament is just around the corner, and football fever is once again permeating the homes of countries worldwide. The Switch has several decent football games, but with EA launching frankly embarrassing yearly ‘legacy’ updates to its FIFA series on Switch, there are certainly gaps in the field for a midfield dynamo or a winning striker. Super Soccer Blast: America vs Europe is a straight-up arcade take on the sport; one that appeals with its overall simplicity, but stumbles when it comes to authenticity and engagement.

The game takes understandable liberties with its team and player roster, including team names like London replacing the more familiar Chelsea F.C, along with completely made up player names in an effort to evade the wrath of UEFA. The roster nevertheless feels fairly limited in scope, and there’s absolutely no option available here to alter your team’s formation, so what you see is what you get.

There are multiple tournaments available in the main menu, including Euro Nations, Copa Cup, the titular America vs Europe, and even the controversial Super League. None of them really offer up much in the way of unique features, and the only difference between them is the selection of teams on offer. Aside from this, you can set up a quick match with any team of your choice, or create your own tournament from scratch.

Of course, gameplay is the most important feature with football games, and sadly Super Soccer Blast falls down quite a lot in this area. Control layout is very similar to the likes of FIFA and PES: you’ve got pass/tackle mapped to ‘A’, cross/slide tackle mapped to ‘Y’, and so forth. That’s really all there is to it, so don’t expect to see any trick moves or strategic options; you get the absolute bare minimum. In a way, we could argue this makes the gameplay accessible to those who might not be ready for the more authentic, realistic sims on the market, but unfortunately, this isn’t where the glaring omissions end.

Most of the core features of your typical football game appear here: corner kicks, throw ins, free kicks. What’s puzzling, however, is the apparent lack of the offside rule. Not a problem, you might say, but what about a referee? You can quite easily foul another player by sliding into their feet, and while this generates a free kick, there’s absolutely no risk of being penalised in any permanent way; no yellow cards, no red cards — ever. It makes each game feel somewhat inconsequential, and after a while it just feels like you’re going through the motions.

Ultimately, the gameplay just feels a bit slapstick, with messy movement, erratic ball controls, and shoddy AI. Its simplicity is immediately appealing, with quick matches allowing for short sessions while you’re out and about, but even with its quirky visual style, the liberties taken with its gameplay makes Super Soccer Blast: America vs Europe a tough game to recommend.