I recently got a chance to play an hour of Pro Jank Footy, thanks to a review copy provided by Powerbomb Games and Umbrella Gaming.
You can find my gameplay video, as well as my first impressions of the game, below:
Pros:
- Fun and addicting arcade sports game.
- Crazy power-ups.
- Quirky humor.
Cons:
- Automatic character switching.
Overall:
Pro Jank Footy is a fast-paced arcade game based on Australian Rules Football. In order to score, you have to kick the ball through the opponent’s goal post. On defense, your goal is to take the ball over from your opponent, often through tackling.
What makes Pro Jank Footy is the power-ups. Every time a team scores, the opposing team gets to select a power-up. These may add star players to the field, make goal scoring easier, summon attacking seagulls, or even show a DVD logo. The power-ups can be obscure and hilarious, especially when encountering them for the first time.
Another big plus is the quirky humor as Pro Jank Footy doesn’t take itself seriously at all. The commentators will often comment on the obscurity the power-ups can cause on the field. In fact, one power-up will even cause the commentary to glitch out.
During the end of matches, the winning team will even play their own fight songs, often with hilarious lyrics.
In addition to a versus mode against computers and other local player, the game also offers a competitive online mode, season mode, and more.
The only real complaint is related to auto-switching. From time to time, you will be automatically switched to controlling a different character, causing confusion and often putting you out of position. Even after an hour of gameplay, I never got closer to being comfortable with the auto-switching.
Aside from that, Pro Jank Footy is an incredibly fun and addicting arcade sports game, even for those who aren’t familiar with Australian Rules Football.