ONE TO WATCH: Rematch

Fast matches, smart plays, and no room to hide.

Release Date: 19 June 2025
Developer & Publisher: Sloclap
Formats: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

When Sloclap announced Rematch, I wasn’t sure what to think. Known for the punishing martial arts brawler Sifu, the idea of this developer diving into online team-based football (The World Game!) action felt… well, odd. The pitch sounded almost too wild to work: fast-paced, six-minute matches of 5-a-side or 3-a-side sports action, somewhere in the chaotic sweet spot between Rocket League and Street Power Football. But the more I hear about it—and the more I see—it’s gone from sounding crazy to sounding genuinely exciting.

Let’s start with the basics. Rematch puts you in the boots of a single football player dropped into tight, competitive online arenas where coordination is everything. There are no AI teammates here—you are one of the team’s beating hearts, with every pass, tackle, and shot on goal executed manually. Passes need to be aimed precisely, and tackles are all about timing. There’s no button-mashing your way to glory; success comes from reading the play and syncing up with teammates in real time.

That control is exactly what has me intrigued—and also a little nervous. I’ll admit: I never really managed to master Sifu. Sloclap’s signature blend of tension and precision overwhelmed me more often than not. And here, in Rematch, the stakes feel even higher. In a solo fighter, it’s your own failure you have to own. But when you’re one cog in a five-player machine, the pressure not to let the team down is intense.

That pressure leads to the one question I keep coming back to: what happens when things go south? With up to ten real players online, you’re bound to encounter the occasional rage quitter. And when a game is only six minutes long, a single missing player can completely change the balance. Say you’re down 4–0 in a 5-a-side match and your keeper or star striker bails—what happens then? Is it game over for the whole team?

Sloclap hasn’t fully addressed this yet, but there are hints of clever fail-safes in development. Early reports from closed playtests suggest there are temporary AI substitutes ready to jump in if someone disconnects. I can’t confirm this but that would certainly keep games moving. I’ve also heard second-hand that there will be performance-based matchmaking and end-of-match XP bonuses to reward players who stick it out, even in tough losses.

Outside of the competitive nerves, Rematch looks like it’s shaping up to be a vibrant, kinetic spectacle. Matches are short and sharp—six minutes of breakneck action where momentum can flip at any second. Arenas are compact and stylised, built for wall passes, last-ditch tackles, and highlight-reel goals. Think street football meets futuristic handball, all wrapped in slick cel-shaded visuals that pop with colour and personality.

Rematch is one of those games that creeps up on you. At first glance, it looks like a quirky experiment—but under the hood, it’s packed with smart design choices and tight mechanics. If Sloclap can stick the landing and ensure smooth, fair online play, this could be the surprise multiplayer hit of 2025.

June 19 is shaping up to be game day—and I’ll be there, cautiously optimistic, hoping I’m not the one who lets the team down.