Bless EA. That company slaves away to put out Madden yearly, and spends many millions in the process. But despite loving American Football, I just… struggle to care. I keep falling for retro revivals instead.
One such revival that’s held my attention for quite some time is Retro Bowlwhich up until now has been a mobile-exclusive, 8-bit inspired NFL experience that is functionally quite similar to the likes of NES classic Tecmo Bowl.
I wrote about Retro Bowl back in 2020, describing it as carrying “the spirit of Blitz” – that is, NFL Blitz, one of the greatest sports games ever made. Retro Bowl’s 8-bit aesthetic means that it’s more simple than Blitz, yes – but the heart is there, the energy. And now, Retro Bowl is newly out on Switch.
Retro Bowl is pretty simple, all told. It has easy to grapple controls that let you perform the basic actions of American Football, and streamlines the game down to just the offensive side of the ball – defense is played by AI. It’s a single- player only affair, something designed to be played to kill time on your own. When I fell in love with it in 2020, it was when I almost got trapped in a foreign country as the pandemic suddenly forced borders to slam shut. When I was sitting hungover on an airport floor, awaiting a rescue flight home, Retro Bowl kept me sane. All of the mechanics that helped it to do so have been lovingly reproduced on Switch with actual button-based controls rather than touch screen stuff.
The whole reason this game works is because of the pure simplicity of its play. It controls smoothly, with the sort of snappiness that defines many arcade sports games of that 80s/90s era. It takes about two seconds to understand. It even – slightly frustratingly – appears to feature the aggressive rubber-banding that defines the era, where if you get too far ahead your opponent will suddenly really turn on the gas. I like that bit just a little bit less – but it does make matches thrilling.
As well as the simple yet sublime feel of dropping back as a quarterback and nailing pixel-perfect threaded passes, the game also features some off-the-field action to string together the games. It’s a very light coach and team management layer, basically .
As a sort of combined Head Coach and General Manager you’re given the ability to hire, fire, draft, trade, and even upgrade your facilities to keep fans and your players happy and healthy. You’ll need to juggle injuries, upset players , salary caps, and more. It’s simple but effective. Between seasons you can even jump between teams, taking offers to go to a crappy team to elevate them with your management and play-calling skills.
Of the recent retro revivals, it’s fair to say that Legend Bowl, the PC title I wrote about as a Madden Killer recently, is the more potent. It has a 16-bit aesthetic and is a PC-first release, which means it comes with more complicated wrinkles and some more realistic presentation. However Retro Bowl remains excellent – addictive, thrilling, and the perfect sort of game to keep on your Switch for quick-fire time killing.
Plus, it’s a no-brainer of a purchase. It’s under a fiver! At £4.49 / $4.99, it’s an absolute steal, and a perfect pick-up for Super Bowl weekend, when NFL fever grips many of us fiercely.
So, yeah. Retro Bowl is on Switch. It’s still excellent. It has a whole lot of heart – more than the big budget NFL titles. And it’s cheap. The holy trinity, if you ask me – and well worth a look.
