Post by: TedHazell on June 08, 2026, 11:31:26 AM
Top-half football with mid-table depth.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/75950/efootball-kick-off-switch-2-review
Football games on Nintendo systems have always had a slightly strange history. Sometimes we get the full thing, sometimes we get less than half the thing, and sometimes we get something that feels like it has been built specifically for Nintendo. eFootball Kick-Off! is very much the latter, and that makes it both interesting and slightly confusing.
My biggest question is why does this exist instead of the regular version of eFootball being ported to Switch 2? It’s odd because once the ball is moving and the whistle blows,, this feels a lot like eFootball on other systems, and by extension, it carries a lot of that old PES DNA with it. That alone is enough to get some football fans interested here.
eFootball Kick-Off!, like many football games, is fairly straightforward. You can jump into quick matches, mess around with tactics, take part in an International Tournament (AKA the World Cup), or work your way through World Tour, which is the main reason to keep coming back. The menus and match setup will feel fairly familiar if you have played eFootball elsewhere, albeit a little brighter here, with less modes and options, and, at times, slightly clunkier navigation.
On the pitch, though, this plays a good game of football. Passing has weight to it, movement feels strong, and there is a slower, more deliberate rhythm here than you usually get from EA’s offering. This isn’t a game built entirely around tricks, sprinting down the wing, and ping-ponging the ball around like everyone has crushed a ton of Red Bull before kick-off. It makes you think a bit more about space, passing lanes, and the shape of your team, which is something I’ve always admired about KONAMI’s approach to football games.
That’s where the PES comparison becomes impossible to ignore. If you liked those older games, love the way eFootball plays on other consoles, or if you prefer your football games to feel a bit more grounded and tactical, you’ll get a kick out of this. Players make decent runs, tactics and styles of play matter enough, and there is a real satisfaction in opening up a defence with a good passing move rather than just forcing your way through. It is not flawless, and it can still feel a bit scrappy in places, but the actual act of playing football is strong.
There is also an “easy mode” approach here, with auto passing and additional assists that make the game more accessible. That is a very smart inclusion – especially for the Nintendo Switch 2, which has a huge base of families and younger audiences on the system. Football games can be oddly intimidating for younger players or anyone who does not know the difference between a through ball and simply launching it directly at a defender’s shins. These assists help smooth that out, and make eFootball Kick-Off! a much easier game to play casually with family or friends.
Another small thing that has been introduced in Kick Off! compared to eFootball on other systems, is that the players on your team talk to you. When making a run through the middle, players who are also making runs will have speech bubbles appear, asking for a pass or give other snapshot advice. At first, I didn’t like this and found it distracting, but soon enough it just felt normal. On higher in-game difficulties, some of these shouts came in clutch, helping me pick out a pass I probably wouldn’t have wanted to make without them.
World Tour is the most interesting mode. It works a little like a dream team setup, but without the live-service smell hanging over it. You start with a basic squad of default players, compete in small tournaments from across the world, playing teams of that country or region, and as you beat teams, you can sign their top players. Winning also earns points that can be spent on better players within an in-game World Tour shop, including legends like Dennis Bergkamp and Cafu. It is a simple loop, but it works. There is something pleasing about slowly building a squad through playing matches rather than being nudged towards spending money and trying your luck.
That might be the biggest surprise here. Compared to regular eFootball, this feels stripped back in a way that is both good and bad. There doesn’t appear to be the same microtransaction hooks, and the focus is much more on grinding, earning, and building your team through play. That’s very refreshing. The downside is that the package can feel a little empty. World Tour is fun, but it’s not the most in-depth mode, and can eventually feel repetitive. The mini-games are fun enough too, but they lose their charm pretty quickly.
The International Tournament mode is decent, and timely as it is World Cup season, and that’s basically what this is. You pick a team from the World Cup, and you take part in the tournament. On my first attempt, I chose to take Scotland to glory, because realism isn’t as fun as fantasy, and naturally Super John McGinn became the top scorer of the campaign, as he (sorry Andy Robertson) lifted the trophy!
Presentation-wise, eFootball Kick-Off! looks better than I expected. It has a brighter look than the main eFootball releases, and the character models are pretty great, or at least recognisable enough that you are not constantly asking who each player is supposed to be. More importantly, it runs really well. Docked, I had solid 60fps football, and for a game like this, that matters more than almost anything else. Football games live and die on responsiveness, and this holds up very well.
It is hard to shake the feeling that eFootball Kick-Off! is a bit of an odd first step for KONAMI on the Nintendo Switch 2. The football itself is great, World Tour has enough about it to keep you playing for now, and the assist options make it more welcoming than expected. But it also feels like a first step rather than the complete package. I’m intrigued to see whether KONAMI treats this as a one-off Switch 2 experiment, a platform for future updates and inclusions, or the beginning of something bigger.
As it stands, eFootball Kick-Off! is a great football game wrapped in a thin package. If you’re here for modes, licenses, and the full modern football game circus, you may come away wanting a lot more. If you're here for the feel of PES, smooth 60fps football on Switch 2, and fancy building a team without being shaken upside down for your lunch money, then this is absolutely worth a look.
