When it comes to sports titles on the Switch, there’s unfortunately far too little to say. Granted, the sports gaming space has become a pretty thin shadow of what it once was in general, but the Switch feels particularly starved for such content. While Madden has returned, and there are a few other football titles out there, it’s always nice to see new options available, but that doesn’t mean they’re shielded from criticism either. 

While the Axis Football series has been around, this is my first foray onto the field with it. The thing that I noticed pretty quickly is actually how much it reminds me of sports games I played when I was younger. In the days before impressive graphics and pushing towards realistically replicating the experience of a televised game, the ability to build your own teams, leagues, and even stadiums could often be the hook that would pull you in. That approach is very much alive here, and from the management side of the coin there’s a load for you to explore and do without a doubt. Whether that’s carefully pruning your roster, trying to make trades, or enhancing your team’s core playbook with some humdingers of your own, there’s plenty to invest your time in here, and that all adds value.

If, however, you’re really just about diving into the on-field action, and don’t have much interest in taking the time to take full advantage of what options the game provides you, it’s more likely you’ll be a bit frustrated. There’s no doubt that many aspects of the action work reasonably well, but the problem becomes the fact that if you tally up quirky AI behaviors, out-of-place commentary, and pretty stiff animations that can play out very oddly at times, you’ll typically have quite a list. Key defenders will seemingly be asleep at the wheel, not just out of position but literally standing still while the play moves in their direction. While the somewhat limited repertoire of the announcers usually works well enough, there are also times when what they describe absolutely isn’t what’s happening on the field. But perhaps most aggravating is that when you’re in the play it feels like your options to engage are a little too limited, and your feverish attempts to shake a defender or make a punishing tackle simply don’t translate very well. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to the likes of Madden, and are eager to dive into enjoying the thrill of managing your franchise at least as much as playing the games out, this may work for you, but otherwise you may want to keep biding your time.