The Beautiful Game Book One
No, Ronaldo & Messi Aren’t In This Game…Duh…
This game was actually a pleasant surprise for me. I went in expecting a fairly standard AVN that had a football-based theme, but there’s actually a pretty decent story here, along with some surprisingly well-developed characters & actually meaningful choices.
You take on the role of a newly graduated sports scientist who moves to Ocean City & gets a job at Ocean City FC, an elite women's football club trying to recover from a sad & disappointing season. From there, you become involved with the players, staff and almost all the drama happening around the club. It's definitely not perfect, but tbh, I had a pretty good time with it.
The game takes around 10-15 hours depending on the path you take and your overall playstyle!
About This Game
Storyline
The football setting is prolly my favourite thing about the game. It gives the story an actual identity, and it isn't just something that's mentioned occasionally in the background.
The characters are also generally well written. Most of the important characters have their own personalities, ambitions, problems & relationships, which makes them more interesting than simply being romance options.
I also liked the moral choices. You can play the protagonist as someone who wants to do the right thing and remain loyal to the club, or you can take a much darker path involving manipulation, betrayal and corruption. That gives the story more variety than just choosing which character to romance.
My biggest issue is the protagonist's role at the club. He's introduced as an assistant sports scientist, yet somehow ends up involved in almost everything. Sometimes it feels like the story forgets what his actual job is just so he can be present for important events.
I also expected more of the football players to actually be romance options. Considering how closely the protagonist works with the team, it felt really strange that several of the more prominent romance options are people outside the playing squad.
The ending is probably my biggest complaint. I don't mind the game setting up a sequel, but Book One ends so abruptly that it doesn't really feel like a satisfying conclusion to a chapter. I was basically left thinking, "Wait, that's it?"
Gameplay Mechanics
The gameplay is what you'd expect from a choice-driven visual novel, but the decisions are handled pretty well.
Your choices can affect relationships, character paths and the direction of the story. There are also different romance styles, including monogamous and harem routes, so there is quite a bit of replay value.
I particularly liked that the game lets you decide what kind of person the protagonist becomes. Your choices aren't always about romance. Sometimes you're deciding how far you're willing to go to help the club succeed.
There is also a lot of content here, with a lot of renders and animations, although I would prefer it they had even more animations. The optional walkthrough is a nice addition too.
My only real gameplay complaint is that the protagonist occasionally feels like he's being pushed into situations simply because the story needs him there.
Visuals & Audio
The visuals are a mixed bag, mainly because the quality improves noticeably as the game progresses.
The early renders look fairly dated, but the later chapters look considerably better. It's actually nice seeing how much the presentation improves over the course of the game.
The character designs are generally good, and there is enough variety in the cast to keep things visually interesting. The animations, soundtrack and sound effects also do their job well.
Pros-
Interesting football setting
Good character development
Meaningful choices
Multiple romance paths
Morality/corruption route adds variety
Lots of content & worth the price
Visual quality improves significantly
Optional walkthrough
Cons-
Abrupt ending
Protagonist gets involved in too many things outside his job
Not enough of the players are romance options
Some roster members barely get any interaction
Early visuals are noticeably weaker
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed more than I expected to. The football setting gives it something different, and I liked that the story actually spends time developing the characters instead of treating them as nothing more than romance options. The choices and different moral paths also give the game some replay value.
There are definitely things I'd like to see improved in the next book, especially the protagonist's role and the way the story handles its ending. I'd also like to see more of the players get meaningful story and romance routes.
Still, the developers clearly put a lot of work into this, and the improvement in the visuals and overall presentation is noticeable. It's a solid start to what could become a much bigger story, and despite my complaints, I'm interested in seeing where Book Two goes. Playtime: 10hrs+
Rating: 8/10
It’s sad that the players were out of reach for us…
