What XP Soccer is
XP Soccer is a pixel-art soccer game built as a tribute to the NES-era football classics. The visuals stick to the limits of 90s consoles, only stepping outside those rules now and then to make players easier to customize and read on the pitch. You get simple, tight controls built around the classic A and B buttons, and combining them gives you a spread of moves including curve shots. Matches include fouls, free kicks and penalties, so games have the same rhythm of set pieces you remember from old-school soccer titles. There are 56 national teams to pick from, plus formations and substitutions to set up before kickoff.
Playing it with your group
The game has an Exhibition Match mode that supports single player, local versus and local co-op, so two people on one screen can play against each other or team up. There are also 8 tournaments available in single player and local co-op, which gives a group a shared run to work through rather than just one-off matches. On top of that, the game supports Remote Play Together, which lets friends join in over a connection instead of needing to be in the same room. Pick your national teams, set your formation, and get playing.
Before you start
The control scheme is deliberately minimal, so expect to learn a handful of button presses and then start layering them together for curve shots and other moves rather than memorizing a long list of inputs. The stadium list covers 4 grass stadiums and 4 alternative ones, so the backdrop changes between matches. There are 40 achievements to chase if you like working through a checklist alongside your games. The whole package is aimed at quick, arcade-style matches with a retro feel, so it suits short sessions where a group wants to jump in, play a few games, and swap who is on the controller.