While I’m a massive AFL fan, I also have some incredibly fond memories of Aussie Rules Footy on the NES. While I’ve played almost every AFL game since then, I’ve always missed the simplicity and charm of that first NES game. So when I saw Pro Jank Footy, my eyes lit up.
Pro Jank Footy is, in many ways, a callback to a simpler time. It’s relatively easy to pick up and play as a footy game, which is a marvel, given how complicated our beloved sport actually is. Better yet, it’s also poking fun at broader Australian sensibilities, as far as footy culture and local humour are concerned.
While certain modes feel quite shallow and the game can get incredibly chaotic at times, I absolutely love Pro Jank Footy for what it is and feel it’s one of the biggest surprises of the year.
BAAAALLLLLL!
When it comes down to it, Pro Jank Footy is all about delivering the goods, hard and fast. It’s a callback not only to an older style of video game, but a more simplistic time within Australian Rules Football itself, where crunching tackles and 70+ metre torpedoes were the norm.
As a result, Pro Jank Footy is really easy to pick up and play. On offence, you’ll hold the X button (on PlayStation 5) to charge your long kick, and tap the X button for a shorter pass/handball. You’ll also be able to sprint and fend off enemies, but that’s about it.
Defensively, you’ll be able to hold the circle button (once again, on PlayStation 5) to tackle, and press it once to bump players. Bumping them may cause them to drop the ball, while tackling ensures it will, even if both players are taken out of the contest, leaving the footy up for grabs.
Marking is also automatic, provided you’re in the path of the footy.
While it sounds simplistic, I believe it ultimately works in Pro Jank Footy’s favour. There’s no real learning curve aside from getting a feel for the game, which takes a couple of minutes, and as a result, it’s really easy to teach to those who aren’t fans of the sport.
Aussie Rules Football can look chaotic at the best of times, so it’s great to see the development teams at Powerbomb Games and Tinker Town boil it down into something so straightforward that also manages to capture the overall vibe, spirit and pace of the sport so accurately.
The only real downside to the experience as a whole is that the game’s multiple modes feel a little shallow. You can play single matches against friends both locally, while online play was not unfortunately not available at the time or writing.
A dedicated season mode sees you playing as a specific team called the Cactus Sharks, climbing up a Mortal Kombat-like ladder as you knock off each of your opponents.
I must say, this is much better with friends. While we’ll get into exactly why in just a second, it’s worth noting here that playing against the AI can feel a little choppy, as they tend to turn the tide, playing like an entire All-Australian team, when they’re down by a few goals and the momentum needs to swing in their favour.
Bring on the Jank
While Pro Jank Footy can be played without the Pro Jank, which is totally fine, it’s certainly a much more entertaining experience when the Pro Jank is firing on all cylinders. In this mode, teams will be able to run into meat pies out on the field to activate certain power-ups, but the real fun comes when either team concedes a goal.
Once this happens, that team will be able to select one of three cards, which can drastically change the experience for one or both teams. While this rogue-like approach does make things rather chaotic at times, it’s a bunch of fun, and I could not stop laughing on more than a few occasions.
For example, you can select a card that turns one of your players into giants, or can turn the opposition into ant-sized players. You can employ the assistance of a shopping trolley, which can smash head-first into most contests, or even activate the old DVD player logo that would bounce from corner to corner of the TV screen when on standby, to distract players. You can even bring fans onto the ground, which act as obstacles for your opponent, or even turn the boundary line into a portal that magically whisks you away to the opposite end of the ground.
While you’ll stack these cards up as goals are kicked against you, it does help even the playing field if you pick the right cards. Some cards, however, do go straight for the laughs, like the “100%” card, which turns the commentary into different sayings of 100%, like “one-hundy percenty” or “hundo”, for the rest of the game.
It gets even crazier, as matches within the season mode, sees both teams picking their cards before the match without the other team knowing, meaning you’ll start each match with a bunch of random advantages and disadvantages.
I should also mention that Pro Jank Footy is commentated by Broden Kelly of Aunty Donna fame, and as you can imagine, the results are as random as they are hilarious.
Retro Vibes
Pro Jank Footy certainly has the retro aesthetic going for it, and for the most part, it looks fantastic. It’s incredibly bright, and along with those CRT scan lines, captures the essence of old-school arcade games. The scoreboard also points towards which direction you’re kicking in, and your active cards can be seen, ever so slightly, underneath it.
I do wish that Pro Jank Footy gave you the chance to pick the grounds, because I swear I spent around 5 hours with the game before playing on the “shopping centre car park around the corner” ground, which was a hilarious departure from the other grounds on offer.
The game also runs at an even clip, and the retro-inspired sound effects go a long way in bolstering its authenticity.
Final Thoughts
Pro Jank Footy is far from the deepest experience out there, but it simply nails the spirit of the sport, along with a fresh burst of Aussie humour, so much so that it’s really hard not to enjoy on some level.
While it’s better in bite-sized bursts and with friends alike, the love of footy shines through, making it one of the most bizarre and unique experiences of the year.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Charming visuals and simplistic gameplay; Fantastic sense of humour; Fun with friends
Lowlights: Some modes feel quite shallow at times; AI opponents can feel unnecessarily tough when down
Developer: Powerbomb Games and Tinker Town
Publisher: Powerbomb Games and Umbrella Gaming
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 Pro with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
