Every now and then, a major world sporting event seems to influence gaming, and right now we’re seeing it with Euro 2016 (and to a lesser extent the Copa America). Considered by most to be the biggest soccer events in the world outside of the World Cup, these tournaments are currently underway in Europe and North America, capturing the interest of soccer fans around the world. And it certainly appears that the gaming community has taken notice.
Take a look at some of the latest games in app stores and you’ll quickly see a handful of playful soccer apps that have been released to coincide with the beginning of Euro 2016 and the Copa America. The first is Kickerinho World, a cartoonish soccer juggling game developed by Tabasco Interactive. Tabasco now boasts a few mobile games for which it claims that you are the hero, and that’s certainly the case in Kickerinho World, in which your task is to master 34 tricks and 650 challenges to become the best soccer juggler in the world. The game includes beautiful animations of locations around the world, and it’s up to you to customize a player, become a great juggler, and challenge other players to prove your mettle.
Another brand-new soccer game featured in app stores is Cristiano Ronaldo: Kick’n’Run, an endless runner built around the Portuguese superstar who may just be the best player involved in Euro 2016. Designed as the latest addition to a uniquely diverse range of games from Hugo Games A/S, it’s actually a pretty inventive twist on the standard endless runner. Imagine Temple Run on a city street, controlling a soccer player and kicking a ball at targets even as you sprint forward and dodge obstacles and opposing players. It’s a little bit over the top as an advertisement for Ronaldo, but it’s also a surprisingly fun game.
The other featured game is Blocky Soccer – Endless Arcade Runner, a new selection from Full Fat (whose latest titles also include Flick Soccer France 2016). Like the Ronaldo game, this is an endless runner, though it’s designed quite differently. Using pixelated characters and environments as well as a slightly angled bird’s eye view, it almost resembles games like Crossy Road more than Temple Run. Within that design, you control a tiny soccer player moving forward on a field to dodge defenders and eventually have a shot at the goal. It’s a pretty sophisticated arcade game and a great selection for Euro 2016 and Copa America fans looking for soccer entertainment around the clock.
That covers three titles that are being prominently featured, at least in the iOS app store, but there are additional instances of this summer’s real world soccer action influencing gaming platforms. Gala Casino is known for its themed games meant to attract players, and it’s currently featuring a Football Predictor title that actually invokes real matches. Players can predict winners in Euro 2016 matches in order to earn casino bonuses, which can be used toward other games. It’s certainly a different way of capitalizing on the summer soccer enthusiasm, and it’s a bit more closely tied to the actual tournaments than, say, an endless runner.
And then of course there are the online and mobile developers that have long been tied to soccer-themed gaming, and which are worth revisiting if you’re feeling the enthusiasm for the sport. The truth is there have actually always been a lot of soccer titles for online and mobile gamers, from management simulators to penalty shootout arcades. For instance, PikPok’s list of m
obile games includes several different soccer titles, including arguably the best of the “flick” shooters (Flick Kick Football) and one of the more complete soccer games out there in Flick Kick Football Legends.
The new games are the most exciting ones, but it’s worth taking a look at soccer gaming in general, both on mobile devices and online. It’s always fun to get in on the action when a major world sporting event rolls around, and you almost can’t help but have fun with games like these while watching Euro 2016 or the Copa America.
