Football Manager 2019 Touch (Nintendo Switch) Review

It's funny how in the space of one month, the Nintendo Switch has received such a sudden but significant boost to its strategy and simulation offerings. Hot on the heels of Sid Meier's Civilisation VI, Football Manager 2019 Touch is the second instalment on the platform, but it's an equally significant prospect to its loyal fan-base. While there have been fairly successful versions of Football Manager released for smart phones and tablets before, the Touch series on the Switch is the first time the entire package could feasibly be crammed onto a portable in a more comprehensive form. Since this year's version retains that 'Touch' branding association, though, one has to wonder how streamlined the experience actually is, and whether the experience has really been improved upon from last year's debut on the system. Is Football Manager Touch 2019 an acceptable iterative improvement? Or is it full of too many compromises?

Well, only the most hardcore of Football Manager fans, who frequently get lost in the depths of the modern PC versions for days at a time, may be disappointed. That's because the developers have continued with a streamlined approach, at least concerning some pivotal aspects of the experience, which means it's definitely not the same experience as the mainline versions. However, on the whole, Football Manager 2019 Touch is a fantastic package, which thoughtfully translates a very complex strategy experience away from the PC desk and onto a fully portable device. While the Touch range is also on iOS and Android, tablets and phones just don't have the screen real estate nor the comfort factor to really promote long Football Manager sessions whilst on the go. Consequently, the Switch version is undoubtedly the ultimate version of this extended brand. It continues with the streamlined approach seen in Football Manager 2018 Touch, making several more-savvy decisions and compromises that improve things.

For one thing, first-time players will find the new tutorial far more engaging, and it is capable of being informative dynamically, rather than just insisting that you digest paragraphs of text. They will gradually be introduced to the various components, from training and scouting to delegating club responsibilities and deciding on infrastructure. Better yet, these components gradually turn full control over to the player, which gives them a much better chance of grasping the mechanics quickly. This is nice, because bypassing the tedium of educational mistakes allows for quicker gratification, as the manager assembles a half-decent squad and begins climbing the lower leagues. Another fantastic addition is selectable Tactical Styles, which allow the user to select particular playing styles in match, from parking the bus to gegen-pressing. This is great because it amends possession, transitional and out-of-possession settings whenever these are selected, greatly improving on the process from last year.

However, despite many improvements to layout and functionality, there are still various qualms about this edition, which dampen the enjoyment at times. It's strange that for a second time, the text size when playing in handheld mode is regularly too small. There's no doubt that some people will have to squint to decipher a lot of the more insignificant text, which is a real annoyance. Considering this is a pre-existing issue with last year's release, that's only amplified. Another irritation is the long loading times in general, not to mention one or two navigation issues which could easily have been ironed out. A lot of the multiple-tier menus require the shoulder buttons or analogue input to move through, which is strange considering how well the touchscreen works in most other capacities. Also, as is the case with Civilization VI, attempting to play Football Manager 2019 Touch in TV mode is a pointless exercise, since playing with a controller alone is not well-optimised. To be honest, why would it be?