"It's like Football Manager mixed with Mob Wars. Imagine a football management game where you can attack other teams and bribe their players"
That's along the lines of what I always tell people if they ask, so if you're looking for a tl:dr; or a quick reason to play the game - that's it. Football Underworld is the essence of Stanga Games so I'm going to give you the essence of what it is and where it came from.
If you read the first chapter of our blog, then you'll remember the first two team members I mentioned were Noam and Ant - that's because they were ones who got this adventure underway. It all began in Barcelona, when both were travelling and ended up finding they had a common interest in forming a startup. Over the next couple of years the rest of the team was assembled from various countries through various means and here we are today. Now, onto what you came here for - Football Underworld!
Essentially, as mentioned at the top of this post, Football Underworld is a football management game with a difference. In normal football management games, if you realise you're coming up against a team with a world class player you really hope he gets injured in time for the match - in Football Underworld, you make sure he does. It's up to you to create a new club, where you have many possible backstories you can choose for yourself - some of the ones we’ve had in the past are Celebrity, Mafia Boss, Rich Sheikh and Pro Player. Each one gives you a different pair of bonuses throughout the game, so you can decide what kind of strategy you want to adopt.
It all starts in your city - each interactive building (known as a "Facility") you have in your city offers a bonus: the University helps you level up, the Stadium gives you money for playing matches, the Training Ground lets you give a temporary boost to your players' attributes, etc. The more you upgrade these, the better the bonus from them. You'll sign free agents in your Ghetto Pitch, give them special items from the Pawn Shop to improve them or defend them from outsider attacks and draw up your tactics in the Stadium. Once you're set, head off to the country and start competing! Here you can find the the National Stadium (which offers a number of teams from around the world you can challenge to exhibition matches), your friends' cities and the world's tournaments. Then, when you reach level 10, the real challenge begins - you'll be entered into the FU league, where you will be competing to rise up through the ranks, win League A and be the FU champion.
All this seems fairly normal though, right? You've got players who you've given better equipment two, played a few matches, won a bit of silverware. Why is Football Underworld anything new? Well, throughout the entire process I've been describing you can visit your Pawn Shop and check out the categories I hadn't yet mentioned - Attack and Vandalise. This is where things get heated, because you can start being underhanded to get ahead. Is your best mate preventing you from winning trophies by constantly beating you in exhibitions, tournaments and the league? Grab one of the many Attack items and go to town on his players, or purchase a Vandalise item and start knocking his Facilities down a few levels. Your local Pawn Shop has everything from Electro-Zookas to Voodoo Dolls and Cyanide to Laxatives.
Strategy in Football Underworld is about much more than just the formation you play and the players you put in it. Go and check out the University and you'll see a vast array of skills you can level up, allowing you to set a style for your game. If you want to focus mainly on making your team the most talented, start upgrading skills which offer attribute bonuses. However, if you'd rather be the type of Tycoon who wins because the other team can't stand, start spending points in skills based around attack and defence - the game is yours to mould.
Stay tuned for more updates on Stanga Games and our beloved Football Underworld!
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