After making some notable updates to Steam earlier this month, Valve is now continuing the tradition of Steam Next Fest. The event celebrates the upcoming games, allowing you to try out free demos for plenty of titles. One of these titles, a physics-based online soccer game called Rabona, has caught our eye.
The game is being developed by a solo developer, Furkan Sanhan. Despite the extremely basic artstyle, the physics engine here feels solid. The game doesn’t feature pre-recorded animation scripts, and instead, your player adapts to how you move. Subsequent actions are then calculated in real-time, and from what little I played of the demo, these actions are crisp and fluid.
A Fun Indie Game To Keep An Eye On
Steam Next Fest brings out the best of indie developers, and we often get a lot of wacky and enjoyable games as a result (Handgun Football is one you should check out). However, it’s rare for an indie developer to attempt a realistic sports simulation. Sure, Rabona is not going to win any awards in terms of graphical fidelity, but it does have a robust physics system.
One of the problems with similar games, like Rematch, is the fact that the ball often snaps to the player. This isn’t very unrealistic, and it takes a lot of getting used to if you were expecting something more grounded. In Rabona, the ball is a free-moving object, and every touch you make feels precise in terms of physics. Of course, you have to make the right call and react quickly, so online matches are about pure skill.
Another interesting consequence of this system is the fact that each shot you make feels entirely unique. For example, if you attempt a chip shot, in one attempt the ball might curve slightly away, and in another it may float higher than expected. The ragdoll physics are another fun addition, making slide tackles as hilarious as they are realistic.
This game likely won’t pop off too much any time soon, but it goes to show just how creative indie developers can get when they get fixated on a great concept. Download the demo on Steam and try it yourself!
