Subbuteo review

Could also be known as Fleaflicker

12DOVE Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Faithful version of the game

  • +

    Funny slogan

  • +

    Induces nostalgia

Cons

  • -

    Nearly nonexistent visuals

  • -

    Useless touch screen controls

  • -

    Disturbingly mangled players

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Subbuteo is what football fans played before the invention of electricity. It’s a board game featuring little wobbly plastic footballers whose lower legs have been horrifically and traumatically moulded into a dome shape – meaning the only way they can kick the ball is via a flick of your fingers.

Here’s the much unanticipated electronic version, with touch screen controls that you’ll dismiss as useless within two seconds, as the dots that represent your players are literally no bigger than flakes of dandruff. You might successfully select a player maybe once out of every five attempts.

The controls are needlessly fiddly for this kind of thing, but those who persevere will at least find a faithful version of the game under the no-rent presentation. But for us, the only part of the experience that amused was the back of the box slogan, ‘Get ready for flick off!’, which, owing to the chunky font, reads like a rather more unsavoury battle cry.

Oct 16, 2008

More info

GenreSports
DescriptionAn average interpretation of a physical game made long obsolete by the video games you play today.
Platform"DS"
US censor rating""
UK censor rating"3+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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