Courtesy of Panic Inc.
“Despelote” is a unique and beautiful adventure game that reminds me why I enjoy indie games so much.
You play as Julián, an 8-year-old boy living in Quito, Ecuador during the months leading up to the 2002 Fifa World Cup. You witness as the months go on, and the Ecuadorian national soccer team nears their first qualification into the World Cup, how the town and its people change. It’s a very personal, semi-autobiographical story loosely based on lead developer Julián Cordero’s own memory of the scenario.
The scenario of “Despelote” provides an interesting and unique perspective for a video game. I can name no other game that puts the player into the shoes of its developer as a child, but you also don’t see a whole ton of games set entirely in early-2000’s Ecuador. It’s a fresh take on the adventure genre, which tends to be characterized by more unrealistic settings. Not that there’s anything wrong with that of course, but I always find new takes on old genres to be interesting.
“Despelote” is described on its website as “a soccer game about people,” and there really isn’t a more accurate description for it. Clearly, soccer is integral to the game. It opens with Julián playing an in-universe soccer video game before his parents switch the TV over to a real, ongoing soccer match. Julián can play soccer with his friends at nearly any moment in-game, and when he isn’t you can tell just how much he wishes he was. Almost all of the game’s major plot points revolve around the Ecuador national team’s performance in the World Cup qualifiers.
The game is not about soccer, though. It’s a game about Julián, his family and his relationships with his friends and neighbors.
Besides running using the left joystick, there are only two actions available to Julián. If he has one, Julián can kick a soccer ball with the right joystick, or with any other button on the controller Julián can wave hello to anyone and everyone in sight.
That should give you a good idea of how important people are to “Despelote.” Every single character in the game, no matter how minor, has things to say and stories to tell if you choose to listen to them. It really makes it feel like they’re not just NPCs in a video game, but real living people.
Apart from snooping in on characters’ conversations or occasionally getting to play with Julián’s friends, there isn’t a ton else to do. It’s not a very long game, but a lot of your time is meant to be spent just exploring around the city. This makes for a beautiful and immersive experience, but may not be what those seeking constant action would enjoy out of a game.
The visual style of the game, designed by Sebastián Valbuena, is striking, surreal and a bit hard to describe. The single-color, halftone look of the background combined with the way characters stand out so prominently. The black-and-white, hand-drawn illustrations invoke a feeling of childlike wonder and curiosity, but also that an adult Julián is looking back on these events and only being able to remember particular details…
“Despelote” also won the Independent Games Festival award for Excellence in Audio, and it’s clear to see why: the game’s soundtrack and audio design add a lot to the immersion of the whole experience.
The game did have a few performance issues. I played the game on PlayStation 4, the oldest system the game was released for, but I never ran into any noticeable framerate drops below 60. However, the game crashed twice: once in between in-game days, which thankfully meant I lost no progress and again near the final act of the final day, which meant that I did need to replay a substantial part of that day. It’s not a big deal and on repeat playthroughs I did not experience this issue, but it could be something to look out for.
“Despelote” provides an unparalleled, enchanting experience from beginning to end. It captures a feeling of childlike wonder and nostalgia that few have been able to replicate. The downsides could even be chocked up to the storyteller being interrupted and having to start over.
I highly recommend “Despelote” to anyone looking for a short but sweet first-person adventure game. It’s available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series and Steam, with a Nintendo Switch (or perhaps Switch 2) version coming soon.