Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition is a weird depiction of arcade football. In many ways, it's nothing like an actual game of football due to (cheap) dirty tricks and on-the-field obstacles that greatly change the course of a contest. Unfortunately, these additions mar the experience, turning it into a frustrating game of gridiron that too often favours cheapness over skill. Despite a rash of game variants including a deep dynasty mode and some occasional moments of mirth, Mutant Football League runs out of tricks after just a few games and devolves into a forgettable disappointment.
In the Mutant Football League, your favourite football teams and stars are replaced with skeletons, monsters, vampires, werewolves, and other unseemly creations. A great number of the teams are plays on real teams. For example, the Green Bay Packers become the Grim Bay Attackers, with Aaron Rodgers turning into Airborne Dodgers. Mutant Football League loves puns, and most of them are terrible.
Instead of the traditional 11v11 setup, Mutant Football League strips it down to 7v7. With fewer players on the field, the potential for big plays skyrockets. Though each game goes by at a fast clip, scoring occurs by the boatload. Like the Big 12, defence is optional. Oddly, players move fairly slowly when not pressing the finite sprint button, which basically forces you to punch your way to big gains. It's not uncommon to get chased down from behind by a defender that is 20 yards back.
From a controls perspective, Mutant Football League doesn't play all that different from Madden - or Mutant League Football for that matter, the 1993 Madden spin-off which this title is heavily inspired by (Michael Mendheim, the lead designer of the original Mega Drive / Genesis game, is also the lead on this offering). It's easy to jump in and get going. The difference here is that the aggression of the game of football is increased exponentially. Stiff arms turn into punches and dive tackles transition into body slams. Like NFL Blitz, you can hit opponents after the play, dealing damage to them in the process. Injuries and actual deaths happen almost every other play. By the time you finish the first half, it's not impossible for three different QBs to take snaps.
Ironically, Mutant Football League's most novel features end up making the experience fall apart. A 'dirty tricks' scheme in the playbook lets you do things like bribe the refs for cheap penalties, turn one of your defenders into a literal giant, or even erase the last play. In other words, Mutant Football League has a penchant for feeling cheap.
In one contest, we intercepted a pass and ran it back for what would've been a game-clinching touchdown. Our opponent simply used the time warp dirty trick to erase the play. In another instance, all we needed to do was run out the clock to win the game. Our rival used the dirty trick that turned one of his linebackers into a giant. Once he hit our running back, we fumbled, the giant picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown to win with no time left on the clock. Tackling a giant is virtually impossible and forcing a fumble or interception while playing as a giant is virtually guaranteed.
The stadiums you play in often have obstacles, some of which come out of nowhere. Racing towards the end zone for a surefire touchdown only to fall into a hole while running is a buzzkill. You could argue that just like back in the day when we played and loved EA's monster-filled Mega Drive title, the zany and unpredictable nature of the game is part of the appeal. Being able to kill rival players is pretty entertaining, and there are many laughs to be had as promising runs turn into gore-filled bloodbaths thanks to rule-breaking tactics; the issue is that after a few hours, this approach seriously undermines your enjoyment, even when you're playing with a friend. Skill stops being a factor, and no sports title is going to last long in that situation.
Admittedly, Mutant Football League does have a sizable amount of content. The dynasty mode is not quite as deep as Madden, but it still has an impressive degree of customization, and online play works well. Still, robust systems cannot save an experience if it feels tedious and annoying. In terms of presentation, Mutant Football League is somewhat of an eyesore, with grainy visuals and jagged polygons that are exacerbated when playing in handheld mode. After listening to the commentators make eye-rolling jokes for a few games, we started playing with the sound off.
While we're unsure how the other versions of Mutant Football League perform (it's also available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC), the Switch edition suffers from game-crashing bugs. The game froze during several contests - including our first two - forcing us to restart the application from the home screen.
Conclusion
It's a crying shame - not to mention an almost unbelievable situation - that Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition is currently the only American football game on Switch (not including Tecmo Bowl, of course); Nintendo fans certainly deserve much, much better. Due to the annoying 'dirty tricks' system and unpredictable field changes, the experience leads to many cheap situations which, while mixing things up, don't make the game fun to play. It has the over-the-top aggression of its spiritual forerunner - 1993's Mutant League Football - and a sizable amount of content, but it's simply not an enjoyable experience after a few games, even when a second person is involved. As a result, you'll quickly give up and wish you had a proper gridiron experience to play on your Switch. If you loved the Mega Drive original and crave an American Football game more than anything else in the world then you may extract some pleasure from this release, but everyone else should avoid like an incoming linebacker.
Comments 63
I will pick this up anyways.
This review feels unnecessarily biased
i was lucky play this in test phase for pc version. agree with the review but its a blast. and the cheating was always big part of the original. best way play isnt scoring but kill the other side
Already had it preordered... this review won't stop me! I'm still looking forward to the game.
Not one mention of Bloodbowl! Drawing comparisons to Madden (for me ) renders this review useless and misses the point of this game. Sorry. I'm still picking this up because I don't want Madden lol. I fear this review went in with the wrong expectations.
Pretty much everyone i know who is playing this absolutely loves it. I would say this is another misleading review. If you're thinking of making the purchase check out some other reputable Youtube reviwers first. I haven't seen anybody be as negative towards the game yet as this.
@GrailUK Everyone i know who has it loves it.
I am an original backer of the game and have tons of hours put on the PC version. My take on this is simple:
This is NF Blitz for the current hardware generation.
If you're looking for a Madden style simulator, you won't find one here. If you are however looking for some top notch arcade quality fun with like minded mates around, this is absolute riot and like it or not the only current-gen Football game on the Switch library.
... I hope they kick-start Mutant Hockey League next.
I was hours from buying this one. Thanks to this review I've changed my mind and now has time to play something else.
My motto: "If a game gets a bad review on this site, then it really is a bad game."
@MarinaKat Great game, loved it on the Amiga and it is a shame if this is as bad as the review says
Man, I was hoping this was going to be ok. Really needed a good football game on Switch. Guess i’ll keep playing techmo bowl. If EA can’t/won’t put Madden on Switch maybe they can’t at least reboot the NFL Street franchise.
Well the comment section paints quite a different picture than the review. Maybe i’ll Pick this up after all (on sale)
The reviews have been mixed on this one. It seems like rubber band catch up logic and "dirty tricks" means that no matter how well you play, you are still likely to lose at the last second.
This was a tedious aspect of many old arcade sports games.
@Supadav03 To be fair, this isn't what you'd want in place of Madden. It's like NBA Jam instead of College Hoops.
I'm missing some Madden, as well. Can you imagine how fun designing custom plays with the touchscreen could be? I'm glad that Tecmo Bowl's entertainment value has held up so well, I play it at least once a week
I bought this and it is a lot of fun, some of the dirty plays can be a little too powerful IMO though.
Imagine reviewing Sega Soccer Slam and comparing it to Fifa?
I've been loving this game. Review feels like the reviewer went in with the wrong expectations.
Gotta say I picked this up on release and am enjoying it quite a bit. This review leaves me shaking my head a bit as I feel the reviewer is missing the point of what makes this game fun in the first place. The dirty tricks add a layer of strategy to the game making it very important when you choose to utilize them. Almost a game within the game.
Been playing since launch day I haven't had any of those issues.good game
Been having a blast on it, even more than on PC, and easily one of the better sports titles on the Switch, along with Windjammers and Neo Turf Masters.
@Glenn_the_frog Don't let this review worry you read other user comments to see if the game is fun to play. If you enjoyed the original Mutant League Football then this game is for you.
I thought this game looked awesome. I remember my favorite part of NFL Blitz as a kid was pressing the tackle button repeatedly after the play was finished and seeing how much chaos you could cause before the next play started. All you would hear were a chorus of millisecond grunting noises and players flying all around the field.
Maybe I missed this in the review. If the Dirty Tricks bother you that much turn them off. I think the wrong person reviewed this, it’s not a simulation game and the reviewer just doesn’t seem to like or understand this type of sports arcade game.
If you leave dirty tricks on they become a tool you manage. If you waste yours, yeah you might get screwed at the end. Use them properly and They are powerful and you can mitigate damage the other team can do with them.
Another thing. All the hazards on the field have visual identifiers, just don’t run over them, it’s that’s simple, seriously. Sometimes I try hopping over hazards so the defender chasing me hits it.
The game freezing is fair critisism, that happened to me me once. The announcers get a little annoying, you can tone them down or turn them off.
Is is a great game? no. Is it a good game? I think so. Is it a fun game? Yes.
A fun football arcade style game that probably deserve more than what it has here.
That's too bad. Even though I have always hated 'Merican football with a passion, I loved Mutant League Football as a kid. I guess it's time to make raisin toast in the bathtub.
Still considering this to play with my nephew... he and I love playing Blitz together and it's pretty much the only reason I keep my PS3 hooked up.
I'm fine with everything mentioned here, except for the ability to "erase plays"? Is this an ability you must earn/keep, is there at least a limit? Can it be turned off? I could use some more information reviewer...
Worst case, my nephew and I will have a rule that such tactics are off-limits.
I heard many people praising this game but appears that the reviewer was expecting a simulation game instead of an arcade experience
Wish we could get a proper Madden game on the Switch. I'm not a big fan of the NFL (it's too political these days), but I still enjoy a good game of virtual football.
Then how van Mario Kart review high with the blue shell?
@holygeez03 the Dirty Trick plays are all limited to 1 use per half. Every team has 4 Dirty Trick plays. Not every team has access to the same ones. If you don't like the Dirty Trick plays, they can be disabled completely in the settings.
@daveh30
Great to know... pretty sure I will be disabling the Dirty Tricks.
I wonder if the reviewer bothered to check the settings options?
I've always despised traditional football games. Tecmo Super Bowl is the only exception. I adored MLF, and NFL Blitz follows closely.
If this game is truly more Mutant League Football than Madden, then I'm absolutely down to buy.
@daveh30 Brilliant. So the main gripe of this review is based on an OPTION.
Got this game a few days ago, it’s okY nothing special
I actually agree with this review. I've always loved the Blitz games, especially "The League" (both 1 and 2). Since the last league game I've been wanting another Blitz style game and immediately picked this up. Unfortunately this one is just dull. Yes, it has a lot of trickery and over the top-ness to it, but the fun with that only lasted an hour or two for me. Once the novelty wore off I found that the core of the gameplay is just unsatisfying, and doesn't give any excitement.
This is actually a fun game if you are not expecting a realistic American football game. 5 out of 10 is ridiculously low. It's a fun experience and I am really enjoying it. It's better than I thought it would be.
@psychoBrew Agreed. Five is way too low, UNLESS you are expecting a simulation of sorts and not an arcade type experience. IF anybody out there remembers Atari's Cyberball, essentially football with robots, this is more akin to that. Seven would be an appropriate score- maybe even 8 if you like this sort of thing.
If you thought this was going to be anything like Madden, then you were sadly mistaken. Anyone that bought this game wanted it for the arcade style gameplay. As for the dirty trick plays, they have this thing called settings, ya know?
Just purchased this today and I'm having a blast playing it.
@rockodoodle
I was actually thinking a solid 7.5, which is not bad for what it is. I may actually prefer it to Madden....
Bonus points for the Die Hard reference.
I loved NFL Blitz and beat all 4 of them on the N64, BUT let's not be revisionists . . . the CPU was SUCH A CHEATER!! If this game continues that tradition by blue shelling skill out of the game, be it special powers or ridiculous field obstacles, then that is a legit problem....
What this review DOESN'T tell you is that Dirty Tricks can be disabled entirely, the Karnage (aka player damage) level can be changed, and you can even enable Resurrection if you'd rather your players not stay dead.
It seems like the reviewer somehow missed out on all of this.
@bluedogrulez It doesn't. The AI can be tough, but it's very beatable. There are even numerous difficulty settings.
@MongolRaider Exactly. It's incredible to me that this reviewer not once mentioned the numerous options/settings that are available. They're even shown to you right up front before you start a season or "Dynasty."
There's simply no excuse to have omitted this from the review. If you aren't a fan of the "cheap" stuff, then just turn it off.
@holygeez03 The ability to erase plays is called "Time Warp." It's a Dirty Trick that certain teams have. Dirty Tricks can only be used once per half, so they're more like tactical weapons than spammable overpowered abilities. And perhaps most importantly: if you don't like them, you can just turn them off under Game Settings.
Terrible, eye rolling puns are the best. Fight me. Also this is the first truly negative review I've seen. Seems to be based on completely optional things, and improper expectations of what they were going to be playing.
I don't get this review, what were they expecting? This is not a simulation. This is insane arcade football and extremely fun. I like it a lot!
Review is a joke, game is a blast
@Wanjia Mutant League Hoeckey remains one of my top mutliplayer games on Megadrive as does NHL Hitz on the Gamecube. There is currently just one hockey game on the Switch (the admittedly brilliant Ice Hockey on Nintendo Switch Online NES) and I don't find that OK at all.
@Mordridakon I think his issue isn't that it isn't realistic football, but that winning and loosing depends on a lot of cheap, arbitrary game mechanics. I had a barbarian style football game where you could rip the heads off your opponents, but they could do the same to you, so, fair enough. But some of the things he describes here sounds like pure BS, like bribing the refs for bad calls.
@psychoBrew I'll bet I put a lot more time in this game than several rated 8 or 9 in this site.
This reiviewer is a moron. He's comparing Mutant Football League other something like Madden. Calling the dirty plays cheap and annoying and unfair is just stupid. Of course they are that's the fun in this game it's not suppose to be a traditional Football game.
Seriously you guys need to review this again without comparing it to Madden.
Let me guess guys next you are going to compare Mario Kart to Forza and say that shells and banana peels are cheap and annoying. Or compare Smash Bros to Mortal Kombat or Spaltoon to CoD.
This reviewer should be ashamed for posting this joke of a review
I have never seen so many people disagree with a review. Count me as another one who thinks this game is better than the score the reviewer gave it. At worst it's a 7. Personally I would say it's an 8. I have had a lot of fun playing this game. I am playing a season right now. I am playing 4 min qtrs and the scores are like real football games. Like another person said if you don't like the dirty tricks you can turn them off, but they do add a level of strategy, as to when the best time to use them is. If you had any interest in this game do not let a review on a website dissuade you from at least giving this a rental.
@HobbitGamer To be fair, "NBA Jam" is still a skill-based game. If this game does indeed go overboard by making the arcade aspects so overpowered and unfair that most sense of skill and strategy is removed from the game, then this review is fair. The best arcade sports titles know how to combine skill and outlandishness together properly.
Then again, some of the commenters here are claiming that the dirty tricks and frequent injuries (or worse) aren't as game-breaking as the reviewer makes them out to be, not to mention the ability to adjust the settings. This isn't my kind of game either way, but I don't know how to tell which side has a better point without trying the game out for myself.
By the way, the reviewer still gave the game an average score, so even he admits it's worth a rental if the game catches your interest.
I've seen some gameplay vids and it looks like 3-5 seconds of actual gameplay and then interruption as soon as someone was tackled. Is this how regular American football plays? It seems... Dull.
@GrailUK Blood Bowl is a board game and the digital versions were a pretty straight adaptation of the board game, complete with dice rolls. Mutant Football League is an action game.
I would love Blood Bowl on the Switch! It would be cheaper than the miniatures and I wouldn't have to wait ages for a High Elf team or get disappointed by the Chaos Warriors minis.
@rockodoodle true, though I have a hard time rating it as high as some major titles because the level of effort doesn't need to be nearly as high as a game like BOTW or Red Dead Redemption 2. Then again, I think many games are overrated compared to games like that and if just comparing it to other sports games, I'd be going much higher. I think I might like Mutant Football more than Mario Tennis.
@SmaggTheSmug American Football is like a turn based strategy game, only both sides take their turn at the same time.
@BulbasaurusRex the dirty tricks and injuries/death add to the strategy. People expecting Madden are going to take a while to warm up to it. For one, if you suspect the ref has been bribed by the other team (dirty trick) because it seems like you are being unnecessarily penalized, you need to decide if you want to call a play that kills the ref (dirty trick) to get rid of the potentially bribed ref and take a penalty for it.....If you are wrong, you've taken a needless penalty.
Arcade Archives 10-Yard Fight was the first football game available on Switch.
@psychoBrew That's a good analogy for how American football works. Baseball works in a similar manner. Some may call them boring, but I much prefer them over sports like basketball, soccer, and hockey where there's little time for strategic analysis and it's too difficult to continuously keep track of what is going on across the entire court/field/rink.
@psychoBrew I am really enjoying Mario Tennis.... Didn't think I would
@desertloner Lol, what?! Uh, reviews are supposed to be biased. Reviews are subjective.
I disagree with the review too. I wish the graphics were sharper but it's a lot of fun. The dirty tricks add strategy as they are limited. So even though you can rewind time you have to pick the best situation to use it and your opponent is doing the same with their dirty tricks. There's a back and forth going on. The obstacles on field are easily avoidable if you watch out for them but are a nice touch.
The game still feels like football but there's enough action elements to keep it fun if you're tired of sports games.
sad... i love football
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