A lot of my younger memories involve sports. From playing with friends, watching something memorable on TV, or attending in person. I have non-sports memories, but a lot of the sports ones stand out. So, when I first saw images of “despelote” and heard how it involves soccer, I wanted to check it out. To be fair, not knowing too much is a good thing. Because of that, it got me going into a small rabbit hole around the events this game focuses on.
A young boy’s life in 2001
despelote focuses on Ecuador’s first-ever World Cup Qualification in 2001. The game begins on June 2, with our main character, Julien, playing a soccer video game. Your game stops, and your parents switch the TV to watch the final moments of Ecuador’s match against Peru in Lima. This match is significant since Ecuador scored in the match’s final moments to win. That win put the country in a good position to qualify for the tournament next year.
From there, we follow Julien over the next few months. Most of the chapters focus on the next few fixtures the National Team has. Each chapter is more or less the same. We, as Julien, will go through his life on that particular day, with Ecuador playing its match somewhere on a TV. Each day, Julien needs to follow the instructions of adults. Sometimes he’s asked to stay in a spot until his mother returns. Or, he might have to be back home at a specific time.
Being an 8-year-old boy, you don’t have to follow their instructions. With that, you are more likely to wander around and explore his neighbourhood. While walking around, you might come across a few classmates kicking a ball around that you can join. Or, you might stand in front of the electronics store and watch Ecuador play. Heck, if you want, you could stay in place until it’s time to return home. While you do have some choice, there are story-specific moments to progress the story.
A semi-autobiographical experience
The soccer matches are secondary to the story. This is more about Julien and Ecuador as a nation. As someone with limited knowledge of the country, I didn’t realize what was going on around 2001. We get glimpses of how people viewed the potential qualification. At the same time, we also see how the country is managing at a time of high inflation and unemployment.
In real life, Julien is the developer of the game, Julien Cordero. He references his family, including his father, film director Sebastien Cordero. In reality, Julien was only 4 years old in 2001. He changed his age in the game to 8 to better progress the story. Seeing this world in the eyes of an 8-year-old instead of four makes more sense.
There are other anachronisms in the game. They included footage of the World Cup Qualifiers. It’s an interesting addition, but they take some liberties with the timeline of events. It doesn’t break the immersion or storytelling, so only the most keen observers will notice this. Looking into some of the other details, the game doesn’t go into some of the other historical events of the time. Sure, there are some notable 2001 events from a Worldwide perspective.
An interesting slice of life
This is a walking simulator with a few gameplay elements. There is a game-within-game where you play a Sensible Soccer-style game on a video console. It’s easy to play and score. It serves as a nice distraction in the sections where you get to play it. There are opportunities to kick the ball around with friends. Also, you can interact with a few other people in the neighborhood. These interactions are one-sided as Julien only says ‘Ola!’ I did get caught off guard with the quiz you get in class. So, try to pay attention when the teacher speaks to you (lol, it doesn’t impact the game).
despelote shouldn’t take anyone more than two hours to complete. The structure of the game is set in a specific way. There are a few parts where I’m trying to stay vague for spoiler reasons. While the focus is on 2001, there are a few other years that we interact as Juilien.
There are also a few fourth-wall-breaking moments, including one that I thought was a bug. It’s an interesting change of pace in the visuals. It catches you off guard when it happens. Yet, it works in how the developer, Julien, is trying to tell his story. I also appreciate the inclusion of the goal that led to Ecuador’s qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. It’s an interesting capsule of the time.
Not too much depth, but that’s not a bad thing
You don’t have to enjoy soccer to see the charm in despelote. This is a short tale that doesn’t feel bloated. Sure, it does seem a bit rushed in some sections, but it feels intentional. You’re playing a young boy who doesn’t quite grasp everything that’s going around, so it’s fair to miss details. I don’t know if I’d play this again, but I’m curious if there are other games like this worth checking out.
