Dino Dini’s Kick Off™ Revival – Steam Edition
Pad mandatory
A pad is mandatory in order to play Dino Dini’s Kick Off™ Revival – Steam Edition. The pads actually supported are: Xbox 360, Xbox One, Steam Controller and Logitech Dual Action, and most of USB Joysticks.
About the GameDino Dini is back and so is Kick Off! The advertising for the original game in 1989 declared: “Playing it is easy, mastering it will take time – A lot of time” and this is also true of Dino Dini’s Kick Off™ Revival.
Designed for people who want to get the satisfaction that comes from executing skillful moves under pressure, this is a game for the hard-core where success and failure is all down to you and your dedication at mastering the game. Called by some the “Dark Souls” of football games, this game has the same philosophy that drives skill based games where the game itself is a sport.
The only question is, do you have the dedication and skill to master Dino Dini’s Kick Off™ Revival? It’s not a question that can be answered quickly, those who have tried to do that have failed! But don’t worry, as long as you focus on what matters – building your skill and strategy – you will have plenty of fun along the way. This is not a game that just hands you goals, you have to earn them!
When you score an amazing header goal in injury time to win a match after coming back from behind, it feels like nothing on earth!Features
- 60 FPS smooth blisteringly fast gameplay
- Super smooth full speed netplay (dependent on your and your opponent’s network connection)
- Simple controls with a single button, yet allowing a full set of moves
- Custom ball physics engine with”non-sticky” ball gameplay
- Gesture based input allowing you to shoot with any strength, direction, swerve, height
- Fouls, red and yellow cards
- 4 Game Modes: Tutorials, Training, Single Game, European Cup
- Online gaming: 1 vs 1 with random matchmaking, invites and leaderboards
- Offline multiplayer: 1 vs 1 friendly or Euro competition
- European, North and South American teams
- Radar for full view of the pitch
- 8 Formations selectable at any time
- Editing the groups of the European Cup
Steam User 35
Dino Dini’s Kick Off Revival – Steam Edition:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In 1989 the original Kick Off was released, one year before the World cup which was held in Italy. It was a frantic year and just about everybody had become experts in football - who’s going to win and why, etcetera and etcetera. Well, we didn’t want a bar of that! My friends and I were (eight in total) in a world cup tournament every Saturday in front of my old Atari St. As I write this I can see ourselves screaming in my small bedroom. So when I saw this game I decided it was time to revive my old skills by giving Dino Dini’s Kick Off Revival a go!
Dino Dini’s Kick Off Revival is an arcade Football game, but if you are into Football management, this game will probably not be for you.
Apart from the fun memories this game brought back, it’s bloody hard to master! The reason behind it is that you have one button mechanism for shoots, passes, headers and to those long sliding tackles which create interesting patterns when you reach half time and totally crazy at the end of the match. The other hard aspect to get used to is the analogue stick on your gamepad (by the way, you must have a gamepad to play this game); you’ll have to learn not to push the stick all the way in the direction you want your player to go on the field - you’ll lose the ball every time. By mastering this, you’ll be able to execute slow dribbles which will help your team greatly. I personally recommend that any old or new players to go through all the tutorials (it will help you a bit) and practice well before playing your first game. Otherwise, your national team might receive the thumper of a life time by an unknown team. I can’t believe Gibraltar flogged France in a friendly match! I can hear people saying that the French national team is not what it used to be, but THAT bad? - I don’t think so! This game is all about developing your skills in order to win a match. I must say, that I would have liked to have a better layout in regards to the practice session, as it is a bit confusing right now.
The gameplay is very fast and challenging even on the amateur difficulty. Your players can be booked or sent off if a tackle is deemed too aggressive, but the offside rules don’t seem to be implemented. In terms of free kicks, corners and penalties it comes down to how well you use the stick and the one button mechanism.
In this current build, you can play a friendly match, the European Cup and an online game and be part of the leader board. Personally, I didn’t experience an online game at this stage which is all to do with the time zone (that’s my guess).
Graphically, it’s a big improvement from the 8bits graphics but it could have been better. You must own a Gamepad to be able to play this game. As I mentioned above, this game isn’t going to be easy to master and if you manage to find yourself in front of the net, make it count! Also, we need more content, such as leagues, more cups, and maybe polishing the stadium up a bit.
Positives:
~~~~~~~
- Fun, fast and challenging gameplay
- Single and online modes
- Achievements
Negatives:
~~~~~~~~
- Requires a steady bit of practice
- Needs more content
- No trading cards
If you are looking for a challenging Football arcade game, this one is for you!
6/10
Key provided by developer/publisher for review purposes. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own!
EPIC “THE CPT FROGGY” REVIEWS UP NOW ON ZEEPOND, THE HOME OF THE ALMIGHTY FROG!
FOLLOW THE CPT FROGGY CURATOR PAGE HERE
THE CPT FROGGY YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Steam User 20
Kick Off Revival, by today's standards, is a hard game and takes a bit of practice to just play it, but that's what made this game famous in 1989!
This game doesn't hold your hand, the ball doesn't stick to your foot, which makes the game play more satisfying.
A great skill based game!
Dino made a few lessons on youtube:
About, Dino, I've watched his development twitch streams over many months.
Crunching on custom physics/networking/menus/DevOps while playing music, talking tech or handling trolls.
He's work ethic is proof of his dedication to his game (well after launch).
His openness and accessibility is proof of loyalty to his fans.
And giving his time to help other developers is humbling of someone with his experience!
Steam User 12
Ok, played the game for about an hour now so early review. The game itself is slick, plays smooth and is fast - comparable with kick off 2. However, there are a limited number of options, there is no coin toss so you always play going up first, no wind, pitch, time selection. Joystick options are non existent. My 2 player game is greyed out. I have a competition pro Amiga joystick plugged in via an adapter that I cannot use. The game itself mentions just one button to do everything? Thats misleading because without an Xbox controller you can do nothing. ie you have to press X for menu at start of game, A kicks ball, B goes back - I could go on... Also, no instructions? really? Substitutions - cannot find out if you can or not. You can change the formation of your team though! ( It does not say how?) Took me a couple of minutes to find out. Referee - yes there is a referee but not actually visible on pitch, no linesmen either - shame really. In essence, I have an Xbox controller plugged in and a competition pro plugged in. 2 Player option is greyed out? Cannot figure out how to configure keyboard controls - if at all possible. The game needs some refinement ie options for controller and definately some instructions for controllers - how to change formation etc. So would I recommend the game? Yes, because of the price its an absolute bargain - for people that have played and mastered kick off 2. If you have never played Kick Off 1 or 2 or Player Manager on 16 bit machines you will really struggle with the game. For those that have, practice makes perfect!
Steam User 10
Kick Off Revival has become my go to game of choice when it comes to fun and competitive gameplay. Simply put its difficult to master however the satisfacation you get when it all comes together and ends in that goal is a feeling that no other football game has created for me. Many times i have wanted to throw my controller in frustration and many other times i have punched the air in celebration when a well crafted move has come off. The great thing about this game is that everything you do whether its a pass, dribble, tackle or goal is a creation of your own idea. You want to play long ball... you can... want to play the passing game... you can... want to run past four or five players like ronaldo... you can... or maybe slice open a whole team with one perfect through ball... you can! It takes dedication to be that good and the game does have a learning curve. That is what makes this game great. Make no mistake this game doesn't hold your hand and playing the best players will feel like a lesson in itself however thats the challenge, be at one with the controller and allow your instinct to guide you. One analogue stick and one button pretty much does it all and that is all you need... simple right? Play it and find out what your really missing. The most fun i've had with a football game in years!
Steam User 12
Dino Dini's Kick Off Revival has taken a lot of stick over the last year after the PS4 release, In my mind, largly due to a misunderstanding of what the game is. This is not a football simulation. Kick Off Revial tries to capture the essence of football in an arcade style game and put the player in full control of what happens on the pitch.
This means the ball does not stick to your player.
Passing direction and power is not assisted
You can run in any direction
Height of kicks and shots is player controlled.
All of this manual control mean that practice is needed to gain an understanding of how to use it efficiently.
But once you do, the fun really begins.
You start to pass the ball around your opponent, crossing from the wing and heading the ball home, or perhaps you intercept a clearance outside the box and fire a topspin shot in to the top corner?
Low shots, high shots, curling shots, lobs - all are ppossibe once you learn the finesse required to control the analog stick.
And this is the key difference from previous versions of Kick Off, and where I believe the issues arise for Kick Off players. Running speed, direction and shot/pass power are all controlled with the single analog stick. This takes time, patience and practice.
Yes, game modes are limited but the developer is hoping to add features over time.
This game was made with local and online multiplayer in mind. Play another opponent and the game really does come in to it's own. Enjoy playing someone at your level or wonder how that player who seems so much better than you does that crazy shot and try to figure it out... or ways to stop them.
For me this has been the main pull of the game, online multiplayer and competing with players that seem almost god-like on the pitch.
Aspire to compete with them... and keep playing them to learn their techiques
Steam User 11
This game is hard, there is no doubt about it. Hard to master, hard to get into. You can't pick up the controller and start scoring goals. Instead you need to complete the tutorials, you need to learn.
But by George is it rewarding! You will never stop learning, never stop being rewarded. This game is outstanding!
Steam User 7
I played the original kick off for a million hours when I was a kid and i have so many fond memories of it that I was a bit dubious about this remake (especially after reading the reviews).
But I took the plunge and I've got to say, I think it is even better than the original!!
The same lightning fast gameplay and natural feeling controls - even though it's still one button, I think the controls are much more refined now with an analogue controller.
A warning though - you need to practice...a lot!
It can be VERY frustrating at first but as soon as you start stringing some passes together and eventually score a goal or two, you feel an enormous sense of pride.
Another warning - it is very bare-bones in terms of presentation and additional options. You get amazing gameplay but not much else.
Think of it in terms of an ascii or pixel-art rogue-like - not the nicest thing to look at but mountains of gameplay.
I'm hoping that in the future it will get expanded to include lots of features that were in the original game (and it's sequel) 30 years ago - weather, wind, pitch conditions, injuries, subs, leagues etc.
If these get added in then I will be playing this game forever!