Mutant Football League– Where Your First Down May Be Your Last

Steven Weber November 10, 2017 Quick Hit Reviews

Greetings sports fans and welcome to Mutant Football League brought to you by Digital Dreams Entertainment LLC. In tonight’s matchup between the New Yuck Tyrants and the Nuked London Hatriots we’ll see the return of famed Hatriots quarterback Bomb Shady, back from being horribly dismembered in his last game against the Scarolina Panzers. This is our Mutant Football League review.

When it comes to the thrill of American Football, overwhelming strength, heavy contact and hard takedowns are parts of the game that gets fans roaring in the stands. Unsportsmanlike conduct or poor calls from a referee are booed and jeered, often blowing over into speculative media the following day. In the Mutant Football League many of the rules have changed, upping the amount of violence and decreasing the penalties, what could go wrong right?

Once you log in to the game you have several options for how to play. You can hop in to an immediate game, start a season, jump to the playoffs or run a practice match. There is also local co-op and online play. For the purpose of getting an all-around feel for the game I started a season from the beginning. When you start a new season you can choose specifics on how you’d like to play, such as the game speed, the length of quarters, the difficulty and other unusual settings such as allowing “dirty tricks” or allowing your players to be “resurrected” when they die.

If you haven’t been paying attention, we’re playing mutant football here, death isn’t just a possibility it’s a guarantee. In fact on my first game I played, just the kickoff return killed 4 players. Your mutant players are a finite resource in this game as well. If your quarterback gets killed you only have so many replacements before you will lose a game due to not having any more quarterbacks. In that respect there is more strategy involved than one would expect. If you find yourself losing badly, you could focus on killing their players, and win by default. Plays can vary anywhere from a defensive play to attack the quarterback before the snap to a very offensive play to attack the referee who may or may not have been bribed by the other team. In several cases these special plays are required to be used or else you’ll find yourself having a very difficult time moving the chains.

What I like about Mutant Football League is how Digital Dreams is completely fine with the MFL being a very egregious parody of the NFL. The team and player names have slight differences from NFL teams and players. Bribed referees or poorly made calls prompt the refs to give reasons as outrageous as they are bogus. In addition to the raw brutality of mutants tackling and kicking each other before, during and after each down, the field is layered with traps that can hinder your team as much as dismember the opposing team. The impermanence of every player, never knowing when they may be mutilated along with the fast paced combative action gives Mutant Football League a very arcade feel perfect for quick games and casual seasons.

Where I feel Mutant Football League falters a little is mainly in the lasting appeal department. While many teams are locked until you complete a certain number of games or other conditions, most traditional sports games thrive on the premise that you’re playing a team with players you have some connection to. In Mutant Football League you aren’t able to create your own character or trade your favorites to different teams, and any character you may find interesting won’t be around for very long. As far as the gameplay goes, it’s pretty traditional, with simplistic controls that are easy to learn with few complications when passing, tackling, or punching random mutants, though movement can feel clunky and slow at first.

Mutant Football League is a great casual game for the traditional or curious football fan looking for something a little different. The lighthearted tone paired with crass insults impresses an undeniable if not fleeting entertainment value that will last you in between more serious and complex titles. When you find yourself looking for a quick football fix with sensationalist violence and arcade style play, don’t hesitate to pick up Mutant Football League.