Despelote Review (PS5) | Push Square

For so many supporters around the world, football is more than just a sport about kicking a ball into the back of the net. A cultural touchstone, a way to bond and form friendships, a reason to travel — it’s a way of life.

Despelote looks to capture that healthy obsession through the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying stages that saw Ecuador reach the tournament for the first time. As excitement grips the country, you revel in the fever as a young boy perpetually seeking a kick around with his mates.

The game is structured around Ecuador’s final five qualifying matches, with explorable scenes in a town allowing interaction while the fixture can be followed on TVs in the background. It perfectly captures that childhood sense of having an interest in football, but not the attention span to watch a full 90 minutes. Therefore, you’ll kick a ball around with some friends and annoy the locals.

There are no objectives in Despelote; rather, you simply explore the environment you’re in until it eventually transitions to the next scene. Each scene is treated like a sandbox with a handful of interactive elements besides the act of kicking the football about, which is handled by pulling and pushing the right thumbstick.

It takes about 90 minutes to start and finish the game, and while the attempt is admirable, Despelote feels aimless a lot of the time. A lot of the scenes come and go without you actually doing anything, and what’s there can be a repeat of past sequences. It’s incredibly light on gameplay, so the videos in between explaining Ecuador’s qualification and political events at the time do the talking.

This is when Despelote is at its best, complete with the unique visuals that make for a graphically interesting experience. Actual clips from Ecuador’s matches are depicted in the art style, and the people you meet contrast against the blocky background colours with white, pencil-drawn silhouettes.

Like the drive back home from an away day loss, you’re left wondering: what was the point? Despelote laudably captures the emotion surrounding Ecuador’s qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but it struggles to craft a satisfying video game about it.