Released back in October of 2023, Sociable Soccer 24 finally made its way to the Nintendo Switch this past July and thus is now in my hands. With footy options being limited on the Switch, it’s worth scoping out how this one holds up with our Sociable Soccer 24 review.
What I Like
Surprising Authenticity
Equipped with the FIFPRO license, Sociable Soccer 24 has a surprising amount of authenticity to offer. With over 13K professional players and 1,000 teams, you can take the club of your choice and attempt to win one of the 80 trophies offered in the game.
It’s unrealistic to expect authentic uniforms, but the basic color combinations are there and surprisingly there aren’t kit clashes when randomly matched up against an AI opponent. Even the tactics and roster management are surprisingly realistic, but we’ll get into that in a bit.
Gameplay
According to Tower Studios:
“Get your adrenaline pumping with the game’s lightning-fast and intuitive gameplay. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a casual player, Sociable Soccer 24’s user-friendly controls ensure that everyone can enjoy the excitement of the pitch.“
It’s everything Tower Studios described and more. It’s fast and intuitive in the sense that it’s easy to pick up, yet takes a little time to master, especially when you factor in the ability to toggle the controls between assisted and manual — and of course the difficulty levels (Easy, Moderate, and Expert). At first, I began with assisted controls on the moderate difficulty levels before finding my footing and changing to the highest difficulty and manual controls, which still ends with me sending a few shots into the stands (a good thing).
The commands are simple on defense as well. You turbo and slide tackle, and the game switches players for you on that end to a better standard than eFootball. In general, the best form of defense is similar to UFL where you just try to run and take it off the other player while dribbling, but it’s acceptable for a game on the Nintendo Switch — on the PS5, not so much (sorry, UFL).
No DLC
What you see is what you get from Sociable Soccer 24. In a genre dominated by loot boxes in console and mobile games alike, it’s refreshing to know that you won’t need to grab your wallet if you want to enjoy the game. With a selling point of about $25, Sociable Soccer 24 is reasonably priced and offers enough content to justify the cost.
What’s even more reassuring is that Tower Studios (Sociable Soccer 24’s developer) is committed to updating the game as seen by its most recent patch (June, 2024).
Nice Pace Of Play For Seasons & Tournaments
One area that I really like, and is a must for mobile games, is the length of time it takes to complete a tournament or season. For my tournament playthrough, I focused initially on the Africa Cup of Nations, complete with three group stage matches, and luckily I was able to guide the Ivory Coast through three knockout rounds that ultimately culminated in me achieving legendary status and taking home the trophy, all in about 45 minutes.
Season play takes longer as expected, but since you’re not playing the other teams in your league home and away, you can get through a complete season in a couple of hours or space it out and take your time over the course of a few days.
Can Feel The Difference In The Quality Of Players
It’s a strange thing to say about a game on the Nintendo Switch, but you can really feel the difference between good and lesser players when it comes to quality. My first match with Sociable Soccer 24 was the heated contest between Argentina and Brazil with me taking charge of the Selecao, and just like recent times, Argentina handed me my head on a plate with Julian Alvarez scoring a hat-trick.
The action was fast and Argentina was all over me, a stark contrast between my “world” squad, DC United, where it was slowed down because my players were not as good.
What I Don’t Like
Lack Of Stats
There aren’t many things I don’t like about Sociable Soccer 24, but the lack of stats across their modes is the big one. I don’t expect a game like this to have the advanced stats EA FC has, but a simple tally of goals, assists, and clean sheets is the bare minimum and that’s what I expected, especially as I put my finishing boots on and started scoring goals for fun.
Even if the stats aren’t tracked on a league status page (league leaders and so on), it would be nice to see some Team Player stats.
Bottom Line
There aren’t many mobile or Nintendo Switch sports games that can hold my attention, but Sociable Soccer 24 is one. You may or may not find me getting a few matches in during work hours while I slog from online meeting to online meeting. You can’t prove it regardless! At about a $25 price point, the game offers a good bang for its buck and is enough to satisfy a hardcore footy fan like myself or casual fans like my daughters. Either way, Tower Studios you have a fan.
