The retro classic Kevin Toms Football Star Manager, originally released in 1982 on the ZX Spectrum before being converted to a plethora of formats, gains a remake next month on Steam. It appears to be the recent mobile version, only now with additional improvements.
Nostalgia forms the core of an experience that blends simplicity with subtle depth, featuring visuals reminiscent of the 8-bit original. It’s said to be very easy to pick up, and unlike similar modern games, doesn’t require hours to play. Of course, it doesn’t need the latest in graphic card tech, either.
The idea is to manage your club across four divisions, dabbling with the transfer market, balancing finances, managing morale, and choosing tactics. Teams, kits, and players can all be edited – with players having unique skill, fitness, and age ratings.
British games designer Kevin Toms founded Addictive Games in the early 1980, becoming the godfather of football management games. From the looks of things, it took a while for the Spectrum original to be topped. In fact, it was still knocking around in the ‘90s, even gaining a late Amiga re-release.
Here’s the trailer of the newest version: