Review: Mutant Football League 2 (Xbox)

Mutant Football League 2 on the Xbox Series X|S gives the sense of being a throwback to the era in which sporting games were more about attitude rather than accuracy. This is a fully committed title from the developers, Digital Dreams Entertainment, and one which takes the stance of the wild and rule-bending counterpart to the full-on football simulators out there. This title is one where the right amount of violence can be fully expected, and crunching tackles can lead to permanent damage to the players, with ‘chaos’ just being an option in the strategy plan right from the initial kick-off.

The gameplay is simple to get the hang of, even if you are not a big fan of footie. Passing, tackling, and running are all intuitive, and the action moves quickly without any lengthy breaks between downs. It’s the frequency with which everything that can go wrong, for the best, that gives Mutant Football League 2 its character. Players will be blown up, mashed, or smacked apart by environmental traps, sometimes entirely shifting the course of a game or a series of downs. Mine fields, shifting turf, and killer obstacles all ensure that no lead is ever, ever safe.

There is more strategy at play than the cartoon violence would initially indicate. The decision of when to be aggressive and when to hold back becomes crucial, and this becomes even more so as your team begins to dwindle due to injury and defeat. Deception tactics and special powers can make all the difference when utilized properly, and becoming familiar with the dangers of the stadiums also adds a surprising degree of strategy. The Dynasty Mode goes a long way in ensuring that this title has some semblance of staying power as it requires you to play out the repercussions of your actions as opposed to merely discarding matches as so many games do. It isn’t profoundly deep, but it’s quite enough fun to keep the player engaged.

In terms of visual presentation, it’s clear that the game doesn’t look bad, even if it never looks like it’s at the forefront of technological innovation. There’s a stylish, almost cartoonish exaggeration to character models that’s pleasingly on-theme, even if some animation work, particularly when people are getting up close and personal, can look rather stiff. Explosions and in-game effects are satisfyingly kinetic, even if presentation as a whole has that kind of finished indie look to it that’s almost never found in big-budget releases. Performance on Xbox Series X|S hardware is largely stable, even if small moments here and there remind you that, technically, this stuff can still go wrong.

Sound design is where the game truly shines. The commentary from Tim Kitzrow (voice of NBA Jam and NFL Blitz, among others)is full of personality, and it makes big hits and dramatic events feel all the more exhilarating. His voice alone is enough to give it a nostalgic feel for any player who remembers playing classic sports games in arcades back in the day, however, it does tend to feel a bit forced through repetition in longer playing sessions because there’s not enough commentary options available. The rest of the sound effects, from tackle sounds to hazards, are doing a good enough job in hammering home its ridiculousness.

As far as content goes, Mutant Football League 2 seems well-rounded but a little shallow. Arcade and Dynasty-simulation gameplay comprise the majority of the fun experience. Playing on an online multiplayer can be a hit-or-miss situation depending on the internet connectivity. Local multiplayer action would easily be the most entertaining experience with the option to experience the chaos with a friend. There may not be a whole lot to the content as far as bigger sporting games are concerned.

First and foremost, when Mutant Football League 2 is at its best, it is a fun, silly, and brutally violence-filled arcade football game that never wavers in what it is or who it is for. The one thing that is apparent is that Digital Dreams Entertainment knows what it is doing in this niche that it has created, because what it has delivered is a game that is full of character and moments that can never be forgotten. Ultimately, Mutant Football League 2 may not be the first choice for those seeking traditional football experiences on console gaming platforms, and its features may not be fully on par with the better titles within its genre, but this could be the choice for people seeking fun that is messy and wild.