Being someone from Brazil, I almost take for granted the fact my country always qualifies for a World Cup every four years. For us, not winning it is a disaster. For other nations, just the fact your nation is there is something that makes the entire competition memorable and a source of national pride. I noticed that when I visited Panama in 2018, when the country first played an edition of the World Cup. And this is also the basis behind Despelote, an autobiographical slice-of-life adventure set in Ecuador, seen through the eyes of a kid witnessing his country qualify for the World Cup for the first time, in 2001.

Playing a half-baked football game inside a half-baked football game. Whoa.

For the kid you play as, that’s what’s important. The country he lives in is suffering from economic issues, which are constantly reminded by the narrator, but for him, being able to stop what he’s doing just to watch a World Cup qualifying match, or playing a Sensible Soccer clone in his living room, is what life is all about. During recess, he gets out of classroom and plays street football with his friends. And that’s basically what will be shown until Ecuador qualifies for the World Cup and the game abruptly ends.

Despelote is a very weird game. It’s… different from basically any other game I’ve ever played, and the premise is really interesting, but to call it a game is a stretch. There is interactivity, sure, but most of it is actually fully optional, and severely limited. Each section is comprised of microscopic sandboxes where you’re free to explore until the game pushes you to the next chapter. In it, you can either obey your parents and stay put until they come back from groceries, go to a nearby café to watch real-life footage of Ecuadorian football matches, play actual first-person street football with kids, or, if you’re at home, play the aforementioned Sensible Soccer clone.

You can just spend your time watching footage of the 2001 Ecuadorian national football team if you want to. It’s not like the rest of the game is a lot more interactive.

To call this gameplay loop riveting or immersive would be a massive stretch. It’s limited and confusing, as the actual football-related controls are clunky. You actually have to flick the right analog stick to charge up your kick, whether you’re merely kicking a ball with some kids on the street or when playing games at home. As for the rest of the controls, you can run, look at your wristwatch, and interact with like half a dozen objects.

In no moment does Despelote feel overly arrogant or pretentious, as its charming presentation does a great job at, at the very least, making it stand out from basically any other game out in the market. If not the most appealing art style I’ve ever seen, it certainly is unique. It is is chock-full of legit football commentary from the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, as well as traditional Ecuadorian music and decent voice acting. With that being said, I wouldn’t have mentioned political turmoils or economic issues pertaining to Ecuador in the early 2000s if this is supposed to be a slice-of-life tale through the eyes of a kid. The kid was basically ignoring all of these problems back in the day, after all. This is when we are living life at our happiest and most innocent.

For a game about football, the football-related controls are actually quite bad.

Despelote is not awful… it’s just very confusing. I appreciate the interesting premise and presentation, but it’s just somewhat devoid of elements that make it a proper “game”. Even the football-related gameplay (or what little of it is present) feels clunky and shallow. I also think the story could have been more focused on the innocence and lack of urgency in the life of a child – it would have made it a lot more relatable. Maybe turning this autobiographical tale into a game wasn’t the best idea, as an experimental animation featuring the exact same art style would have made it stand out even more.

Despelote is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch

Reviewed on Xbox Series S.

A copy of Despelote was provided by the publisher.