I’ve talked before about how as a mobile gamer you are hard pushed to find anything better than Football Manager Handheld if you are looking for a handheld football management game. It’s easy to see why and it goes beyond the clue in the title; it’s just so much better than any of the alternatives. I have tried countless pretenders, but all have fallen short. Interestingly, having picked up Frantic FC by C8apps I have found that there is actually an alternative to SEGA’s pint-sized behemoth, and it’s not in the way that you might think.

First up, let’s get one thing absolutely clear from the get go; Frantic FC is not a football management sim. What you’ll actually find would be much more accurately described as a football based casual game, so you can see why they chose management sim as a genre. This may sound like a pang of disappointment, but once again remember that if you want a football management sim for your handheld device, there’s something for that already. What you actually get is the option to select your team and formation, conduct your transfers and select an opponent, and that’s it. The ‘frantic’ element comes from the actual matches themselves, you have no inputs or control over proceedings and games are over in 60 seconds, comprised of side scrolling messages describing the fictional action that occurs in the background. This sounds rubbish but in practise it’s actually quite entertaining, watching your team throw attack after attack forward as the seconds tick by, knowing that your ability to fund recruitments and progression hangs in the balance.

 

 

Each victory pays you money, and the amount you receive is determined by the calibre of opposition you face. The strength of both your and your opponent’s team is displayed with a sum value of the players PP in defence, midfield and attack. By changing formation you can manipulate these values, either favouring a crowded midfield to stifle your opponent or pushing an extra man upfront to throw the kitchen sink at their defence. When up against tough opposition you can buy (with in game currency I should add) energy boosts to try and tip the balance in your favour.

If we accept Frantic FC as a football management game it stands that it will be subject to the same critical factor that applies to others in the genre; namely licenced content. Admittedly I was a little concerned when the game asked me to select my favourite club, and then presented me with a list of generic names like ‘Gunners FC’, however once you get into the game there is a well-judged mix of licenced play names and generated names. You also don’t really mind that there are images of non-copyright infringing likenesses of footballers and managers that are clearly Alex Ferguson and Steven Gerrard popping up throughout the game. Whilst some of the players who appear seem strangely dated (fans of football 10 years ago will be pleased to see Ian Harte and Ryan Giggs take centre stage), but it doesn’t spoil the enjoyment.

 

 

What is worth mentioning is the impact of premium content on Frantic FC, or more specifically the lack of it. There’s the now standard ‘buy some extra money’ option, but other than that everything is dealt with using in game currency that you earn through playing the game. Similarly, there is the option to link to Facebook and Google+, but this is unobtrusive and you lose nothing from the experience by not doing so.

In summary, look elsewhere if you want a football management sim. In fact don’t even bother looking just go and get Football Manager Handheld, as it’s the best choice hands down. If however you want something entertaining that you can pick up for five minutes and enjoy, only to look up and find that 25 minutes have passed then Frantic FC is for you.

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