FIFA Heroes review: A flashy football game that lacks staying power
FIFA Heroes delivers fast-paced arcade football with colourful visuals, fantasy characters, and quick matchmaking. However, repetitive challenges, inconsistent controls, and slow progression reduce its long-term appeal, making it an enjoyable casual game but not a serious rival to EA FC.
Once upon a time, all was well in the world of FIFA – they were partnered with EA Sports and were part of the annual blockbuster FIFA video game franchise. They rolled in money, finding new ways to make their global events playable and translating the action from World Cups and tournaments into interactive gaming experiences for fans worldwide.
However, the partnership with EA was dissolved in 2023, and football fans have since been waiting eagerly to see what the governing body has in store. This year’s FIFA Heroes is only the second licensed game since last year’s Rivals, and at the outset, it is far from the “independent, rival football video game to compete with EA Sports” that FIFA President Gianni Infantino promised back in 2023.
FIFA Heroes is designed not to compete with EA’s FC 26, but rather to interest fans of games like Fortnite and Roblox in the sport of football. As its website claims, it “is FIFA Street for the Fortnite, Roblox, and Supercell generation, featuring mascots, footballers, and literally any famous face you can think of.”
“Any famous face” means virtually anyone; after my very first match, I unlocked the mythical Viking character Loki, and immediately went off to play 5v5 with him, Portuguese defender Pepe, and a couple of mascots from the current World Cup. After a few more games, I managed to unlock Argentinian and Portuguese midfielders, Enzo Fernández and Bernardo Silva.
In terms of gameplay, this is a simplistic representation of the sport with arcade elements blended with football mechanics. There are dedicated buttons for skills, passing, shooting, and tackling, and a lot of the experience is dependent on precisely timing things.
Gameplay is fast and smooth and matchmaking is quick; there is a unique terrain matching visual exercise when the game looks for opponents that looks quite fancy, and with all its shiny elements, Heroes is quite compelling visually.
However, that is where the positives end. Despite a gentle learning curve, the challenges are a mess, and they are the only way to progress because acquiring rewards requires them to be completed. Progression in ranking and the leagues offer too little, and the game expects players to either grind continuously or keep watching ads for newer challenges.
Sneak Peek:
Title: FIFA Heroes: Football Action
Developer& Publisher: Solace Games & Enver in partnership with FIFA
Game Type: Arcade-style football multiplayer with fantasy elements
Platforms: Android andiOS
Price: Free-to-Play with freemium ads andin-app purchases
Verdict (all scores out of 10):
Innovative Gameplay: 6.5
Game Handling & Quality: 6.5
Value for Time: 5.5
Potential Progression without in-game purchases and ad viewing: 5.5
Overall: 6
• What Stands Out
– The 5v5 game has a distinct, flashy aesthetic, and the visual effects are implemented quite well. The gameplay is fast and fluid.
– The matchmaking is fast and responsive, and the integration of unique player abilities adds a nice touch.
• Fails to impress
– The game’s overall experience can be a bit hit-and-miss: sometimes the inputs and controls register, and sometimes they don’t.
– The challenges and objectives feel underdeveloped. There is little reason to invest time and effort into the game, considering how limited the current challenges are.
