Viveport Review: Final Soccer VR

Deflecting soccer balls is one thing, but actually kicking balls with your feet towards the goal? Mind blowing!

By Desmond Madison, Greenlit Content

You might remember this title’s initial release on Vive way back in November of 2016 when it was called Final Goalie. The talented team at Ivanovich Games has a healthy catalog of great experiences under their belt, and Final Goalie was always a shining example of quality sports arcade simulation in virtual reality before it became Final Soccer VR in its current release. What’s the big difference now, you ask? Three words: Vive. Tracker. Implementation.

That’s right! The initial release of Final Goalie put you on guard as a goalkeeper slapping, catching, and blocking soccer balls as they came hurling at your line of defense using only your hands. That experience is still an absolute blast - load up Arcade Mode and stop a barrage of soccer balls speeding at you out of cannons, while making use of awesome power ups like giant mitts and slow-motion time effects. It’s like a non-stop gym-class assault on the senses that’ll keep your heart rate up, but thankfully save you from the sting of actually being hit in the face… even if you still manage to get hit in the face.

On top of local one-on-one penalty shootouts for two players, Final Soccer VR offers a supremely innovative mobile platform integrated form of multiplayer. If you’re a Vive user at home, chances are your friends will want to play along with you, and they can load up the Final Kick application to connect with your game in real time as you stand at your goal in virtual reality. Out-of-VR players can then hurl soccer balls at you with impressive accuracy from their phones, keeping you on your toes in VR from across the room. It’s a supremely interesting approach that we hope more developers will implement mobile integration like this for multiplayer in the future, but for now, Final Soccer is one of the best examples of this type of innovation on the platform.

Speaking of innovation, the big transition from Final Goalie to Final Soccer really does lie in the integration of the Vive trackers that can now be attached to the user’s feet. This flips the script entirely, and now players can engage in Striker Mode, where you can take shots at the goal with your feet instead of just standing and blocking with your hands. The sensation is absolutely surreal, and it works with using just one Vive tracker or two... or even if you’re crafty enough to attach a single Vive controller to your sneaker. It may sound silly, but it’s worth it for the experience, and it gives you a sense of immersion that simply feels unlike anything else on Vive.

Like many physically active experiences, you’ll want to be sure your room is clear and the pets are locked out of the room for this one, because you’ll be bending it (almost) like Beckham in your play space for days, and after it’s all over, you’re certain to have burned quite a few calories and worked up a sweat you can be proud of. Sports fans and lovers of arcade simulations will get more than a few kicks out of Final Soccer VR and it’s a solid addition to a growing library of top-tier content with innovative multiplayer compatibility.

Final Soccer VR is available on Viveport and as part of Viveport Subscription.