Thank you Axis Games for providing us with a review code!

Axis Football 26, according to other reviews, has been considered one of the best indie alternatives to Madden Football, focusing less on high-end graphics, more on customization, coaching, franchise mechanics and letting hardcore football fans micro-manage their teams. With Axis Football 26, many of the franchise/coaching systems have been enhanced, plus there are some new visual/audio enhancements and gameplay tweaks. It's received 'next-gen AAA polish" in several areas that have brought it a long way from its earlier iterations, though it still doesn't quite reach what I would call 'AAA' quality." I believe since the game is not licensed by the NFL, the game can get away with a lot of differences like having teams from Canada and Mexico City.

Given everything, it’s strong in its core strengths but is held back by shortcomings in graphics, player control, and polish that fans expect when comparing to Madden Football. I believe they should call the game “Axis Football Manager 26”, and include that the game has the ability for 'live' gameplay as well.

While playing the game, I noted that there are a lot of things about Axis Football 26 that I really like. The soundtrack for the intro and team/player management is 6 different songs from the Christian Rock band Skillet. This is understandable since the game developer 'Axis Games' is a Christian company. There is the option for side-scrolling to watching from behind the offense, and it's changeable during gameplay with coaching abilities in the game. You have the ability to make play calls during the game and quick change of view from side-scrolling to watch from behind the offense. There is extensive editing of existing teams including team name, colors, logo and home stadium. And the option of creating a new team which sets up 52 players and allows each individual player to be edited. Also, setting up a team for the season, then starting game in Spectator mode to watch the entire game play out with your players and your individual play-calling from the play-book editor.

Now for a few things about the game that I feel are areas that still need improvement. For new players like me, the learning curve can be quite steep at first until you get used to the game. The visual aesthetics lags behind AAA football games like Madden. Player looks, stadiums, lighting and fans are not as detailed. The animations often feel stiff or robotic, especially in-play mechanics. Special teams still feel underdeveloped with a lack of fake kicks/punts, basic kicking dynamics, etc. At times during live game-play, there are penalties that are random at best. In-game announcing is good but still not matching Madden Football’s depth or variety. Sometimes the announcer statements are mismatched to situations; there are calls that are wrong for field position or yards gained in a play. If you stop a game during play, then come back to the saved game and try to simulate the game, it will simulate the entire game, not from where you left off. One big issue for me and no doubt for hardcore players is that game controller keys are NOT remappable.

The game overall is close to NFL rules, but there are some differences to the rules of play. There is no 2-point conversion after a touchdown or an onside kick, but there is the ability to perform a kick-off or a 4th and 15 play from the 25-yard line if your team is behind in the 2nd half.

During a game, there is the ability to change the field of view from side view to player view, but the player view is always behind the offense, no matter who has the ball. The field of view can only be changed before or after a play runs, but not during play. There is also no controller button or keyboard button for tackling while on defense, you just have to get near the ball carrier and your player will tackle him. Overall I believe the game play is sometimes just hit or miss. The game play is smooth and looks good, and there is tackling of players, but there is no blood or graphic violence of any kind.

The settings for the game include using the American football rules like the NFL or use a European system that includes promotion and relegation. The promotion and relegation system is actually used in other sports around the world, where the top 2 or 3 teams in a league move up to the next level, and the bottom 2 or 3 teams move down a level. There are no playoffs or championship game, just the top team in the respective division is awarded the winner of that division and moves up to the next division in the league.

Another setting that I changed was the Video settings. I have a good desktop computer that can handle 'most' games in high video settings. I put the settings for Axis Football into Ultra high resolution at 3440x1440, and the game looked good, but I really can not see any big differences in video quality from 'ultra-high' and 'default' settings. I mean, it looks good on my wide screen monitor, don't get me wrong; but the graphics are good for an indie game. However, they still don't reach AAA quality.

The one area that Axis Football 26 really shines in is 'Franchise Mode.' The options are almost endless, with several abilities and available changes and/or updates to your team. You can select one of the 26 teams to edit in the game, or you can create your team from the ground up, including team name, colors, logo, and even home stadium. The stadium itself is not editable; you can only pick from the 26 team's home stadiums or the default stadium. There are abilities to select your team players along with editing each individual player's attributes. You can prepare the team for free agency, drafting new players, and even re-negotiating each player's contracts or trading players to other teams for new players or draft picks. After your team is set up, you can begin an entire season, and you can play each game in 3 different modes: you can play the game, coach the game or spectate the game.

When playing the game in 'Play' mode, you have control over each play call, and then limited control of players. In Coach mode, you can setup each individual play, and then watch the game. In Spectator mode, you setup your team, then sit back and watch the entire game like a live game on television, where you have no control of the entire gameplay. Another setting is Simulation mode, where you click on that button and the result of the game shows almost immediately on the screen. I personally simulated an entire season playing as the Chicago Bulls team that I had setup, and I made it to the semi-finals in the season before losing the game. The entire simulated season took about 10 minutes to play through.

The game can be played with keyboard and mouse or game controller, although the game did not recognize my game controller, which is a Logitech Gamepad F310. But to be fair, over half of the games I own on Steam say that my game controller is 'unknown.' One of the downsides of the Controls settings is the game's controls are NOT remappable. There is also the option for 2 Player mode in either Game mode or Coaching mode. However, you must have 2 controllers connected to play; you can not play in 2 player mode with one controller and your keyboard and mouse. I have not played the game on a game platform like PlayStation of Xbox, but I am sure the 2 player mode works well on the other supported platforms.

The best way I believe to describe the gameplay of Axis Football is like a remastered Madden game from the 2000s, the graphics and mechanics are that far behind. However, keeping the graphics the way they are enables the live game-play to be more realistic and fun. Is Axis Football's Franchise Mode really the best in the business? I don't believe so, but they do provide a ton of options and provides for many hours of play. For a small indie game I think they offer the best bang for the buck. Axis Football 26 is undoubtedly worth the time and the price of $19.99, but there is definitely room for this franchise to improve and tighten things up.

- Alan Woods/BammBamm