More than two decades ago, a football video game on the Sega Genesis that featured robots, aliens and skeletons beat the odds to become a cult classic.
Released in 1993 and published by Electronic Arts, "Mutant League Football" was a game in which victory could be achieved not only by outscoring an opponent but by killing off enough players to force them to forfeit. The fields were filled with a variety of dangers and referees could even be bribed. Fans have long awaited a successor to the game — and that day is finally here.
Creator and lead designer of the original game returned for what is now known as "Mutant Football League." While retaining many of the same outrageous elements that made the original so popular, the new effort has been modernized and exaggerated to an even greater extent.
Though unlicensed, "Mutant Football League" takes advantage of the ability to parody the NFL, so the majority of the 18 teams in the game are based off real NFL squads. The team names and player names are recognizable puns, many of which are very funny when identified. You've got stars like Throb Bronkowski, Hustle Killsome, O'Hell Wreckem Jr., Nuke Freakly, Martian Beast, and Ghoulio Bones just to name a few.
The skills of the big-name players, however, don't seem to play a major role on the field, ceding way instead to the mechanics and features that make "Mutant Football League" so unique. Whether it is the 'Dirty Tricks' or necessity to manage and attack rosters that are depleting as the game progresses, there are interesting strategical elements at play in each game that will go a long way in determining the outcome.
"Mutant Football League" is often a game of attrition, as players will go down due to injury or die in gruesome fashion on the field. If a team loses too many players at a certain position they are at a major disadvantage or may need to forfeit. It's also about capitalizing on big plays at the right moments. Pulling out a Dirty Trick that results in a score, prevention of a score, or counterbalance of an opponents advantage is critical while wasting any of those opportunities can be devastating.
Thankfully, both the Dirty Tricks and permanent deaths can be turned off, and it may be a smart decision to make when initially learning the game. Frustration set in during the first few hours when the CPU would wreck me on almost every down and seemingly any hard-earned touchdown that was earned was taken off the board due to a bogus penalty.
I was left confused as to how any of that could be counteracted. It can be, by utilizing your own tricks at the right time, but "MFL" doesn't do a great job of teaching that aspect of gameplay. It doesn't help that the game is fairly tough even on the lowest difficulty setting.
It's not just the opposition to be worried about either. Each field has its own unique hazards which have to be consciously navigated. There are land mines, spikes, buzzsaws, lightning, and even giant worms to watch out for during a play. "Mutant Football League" does do a good job of differentiating teams also as they have their own playbooks and selection of Dirty Tricks.
One setting that I would highly recommend changing is the Game Speed. At default, the players feel slow especially since their turbo runs out so quickly. Because of that big plays can stretch on for an eternity, the field feels too large, and drives tend to be methodical rather than exciting. The game is simply more fun on the "Fast" or "Very Fast" setting.
Naturally, the gameplay in general isn't as refined or advanced as "Madden" but it doesn't have to be since it's going for something completely different. Still I was left wishing for things like quarterbacks being able to get the ball out faster and throw on the run, receivers not stopping on their routes after the ball is released, lineman getting off blocks under manual control, and for there to be a way to better play the ball in the air on defense. Too many catches are made inexplicably despite multiple defenders being in the right spot to prevent it.
"Mutant Football League" features regular Play Now games, practice mode, standard Season mode, Playoffs mode, and online head-to-head. There's also commentary from the legendary Tim Kitzrow (of "NBA Jam" fame) which is occasionally amusing but I found mostly to be more crass than clever.
Perhaps it's fitting that "Mutant Football League" is a little rough around the edges and has some punishing characteristics. The game is brash, self-aware, and best suited for an older audience. The carnage inflicted is thoroughly entertaining and strategically the game gets better as its nuances become better understood. With "Mutant Football League," the dirtiest trick of all was making fans of the original wait 24 years for the sequel.
"Mutant Football League" is $25 and has officially released through Steam for PC. A download code for PC was provided for the purpose of review. The game can also can be found on Xbox One through Microsoft's Xbox Game Preview Program. A full release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is planned for early 2018.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.