Eko Software and Nacon bring the Handball series back to life by releasing Handball 21 for PC. The series returns after a four-year gap when the last game in the series Handball 17 was released back in 2016. Now, in all honesty, I’ve never got the chance to play the previous title, nor am I quite familiar with the sport itself. Other than having a few glimpses of the sport in the past Olympic events. Both the developer and the publisher are the same, except that Nacon was previously known as Big Ben Interactive. Other than nothing has changed, but what has changed is the massive visual improvements of the game, as compared to the previous titles. I got a review copy of Handball 21 on PC, which I can safely say is the first introduction of the sport.
Is it football? Hockey? Basketball? These are the questions that anyone will ask when you look at the sport of Handball. It is a real sport that is even part of the Olympics, with highly skilled professional players from all around the world in official clubs. In other words, it is a serious sport which is not only fun to look at, but far more competitive than you might think. Of course, much like a majority of people out there, I’m not that familiar with the sport, its rules, and how a match works other than the basics of getting the ball in the goal. This should come as no surprise, as the game does not have a massive audience as compared to sports like hockey, football, and basketball.
Nonetheless, any competitive sport should be appreciated and supported, much like what Eko Software and Nacon have done to breathe life back into the series and return it with the latest title, Handball 21. Handball is a sport that needs to grow its audience, and producing official games with the same amount of fun as in the real sport is always a step in the right direction. The game also has Steam’s remote play, allowing a friend of yours to play along even if they don’t own a copy of the game. This with the split-screen option and online multiplayer will help grow the game even more.
Having said that, there are many areas for the game to improve. Starting with the lack of a Tutorial Mode. Handball as a sport or as a game is begging to be understood on how the game and its matches are actually played. The lack of a Tutorial Mode talking about the basics and rules of the game brings me back to square one of being clueless. The main menu of Handball 21 is quite similar to what you may find in other games, more so like any FIFA title, but less cluttered and easy to navigate. There isn’t a ton of information in the Main Menu that will take you ages just to get into the action, as the Quick Match mode is right there in the first tile of the menu. Choosing teams is almost similar to how you choose your team and the opponent’s team in FIFA games.
Other than the quick matches, you also have an elaborate Solo mode where you will have to manage your team and take it to the top of the league, ultimately facing the world’s best handball teams. The Solo mode will have you manage your finances by signing players, playing exhibition matches, and upgrading your staff that makes up your entire team. Much like the career modes in other sports titles, you have each season with a schedule of events, a budget to play in the divisions of your favorite nations, and also European Tournaments that your team can take part in the season. You also have a customization option for your team in the My Squad Mode. This is where you can create a squad in the colors of your choice, then use them in matches in the Online or Solo games.
The game also has Challenges that are weekly tasks or objectives you have to complete in return for rewards. You get tasks like playing at different difficulty levels, scoring a set number of points, or completing a certain amount of set plays. The Online Match mode is the online multiplayer option for the game which immediately starts looking for an opponent to play against you. Sadly, I never got to play this mode at all, as the game failed to search any opponent for several minutes.
Comparatively, Handball 21 is a giant leap in visual improvements, animations, and gameplay mechanics as opposed to the last title in the series, Handball 17. Considering that the developer is a small team, the visuals and graphics, both inside the court and outside in the menu looks excellent. The graphics inside the court, with the lighting, shadows, and animations are significantly better than the previous game. In addition, most animations look realistic when players are passing, going for a shot on the goal, or even moving around to mix things up.
The gameplay itself is quite believable too, with its fast-paced passing, looking for an opening in the opponent’s defense, and the multiple ways shoot at the goal. As fun as it seems, I would again have loved to know a little basics about the game, any fouls, rules, and strategies to make effective plays. This again could have been done in a tutorial mode which could have educated me about Handball as a sport.
Even if you are aware of Handball and are quite familiar with its rules, how it’s meant to be played and the different tactics you need in both defense and attacking, there are some game breaking issues that mar the experience of this exciting sport. Starting with the collision animation that my attacker had to suffer after colliding with a defender. This locked my player in a small animation, breaking the flow of my attack, not quickly allowing me to pass back and take advantage of the play. Other issues arise when the tables have turned and I become the defender of my team. Any time the ball was knocked from the attacker’s hand, none of my defenders try to grab the ball. Instead, an attacker easily got to the ball with all the time in the world, and repeat another attacking play all together.
The issues are nothing serious that a patch update cannot fix, especially considering the massive potential this game holds right now. Any criticism that can help the developer understand the problem to work on is something I expect from both Nacon and Eko Software. They have returned the series with massive improvements in multiple departments, but need more work on the gameplay experience itself. The content in the game is ample enough to suffice both new players and returning fanbase of the sport and the series.
Final Verdict:
Handball 21 is a welcome return to the series and the sport which demands more attention, based on its professionalism, high paced matches, and fun. The game has a lot of potential which is enough to bring more titles in the future, with a more polished experience and gameplay with player feedback. I can think of two positives that Handball 21 has. The first is that it is way better than the previous titles, and the second is that the series makes a return to highlight a sport that is worthy of recognition. My biggest complaint is the lack of the tutorial mode, which would have been fantastic to learn more about the game before heading in to the action. Nonetheless, it’s fast paced action, visuals, and graphics alone are good enough reasons to try out the game for yourself.
Final Score: 6.0/10
