Cristiano Ronaldo Launches Free Mobile Game — Is It Worth Checking Out?

If there’s one thing I’m certain of in the last 10 years, it’s that nobody is anybody until they have a mobile game. From Kim Kardashian to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, you gotta get in on those sweet micro transactions to really prove you’re famous. So of course there’s a new Cristiano Ronaldo mobile game out now.

Cristiano Ronaldo is not one to miss out on a marketing opportunity, whether it’s underwear or steel. So it’s no surprise he’s got a new free-to-play mobile game entitled Cristiano Ronaldo: Soccer Clash.

“This is an entertaining new way to connect with my fans, especially the younger generation of football fans who never got to see me play early in my career,” Ronaldo said in a news release. “I look forward to sharing my skills in an interactive way with users of this app.”

(It’s debatable if Ronaldo even knows much about this game, never mind has even played it.)

Ronaldo’s game is based around playing head-to-head shootouts with other (real) players. You swipe on your screen to send the ball in various directions from various spots on a field; you can add curve and even use super powers on offense. Then on defense you choose whether to upgrade your goalkeeper, improve your defenders or other changes to the opponent, such as deflating his ball or making it rain.

It’s simple and semi-intuitive. But is it fun?

The Cristiano Ronaldo mobile game is quite basic. You swipe to shoot and hope the ball goes in. You have some options for abilities like making defenders freeze or slowing the goalkeeper down, but they have limited impact on the gameplay. Defending is basic and dreadfully boring.

The gameplay itself isn’t particularly bad, but it isn’t particularly fun either.

The app is free to download on the Google Play or Apple App Store. Like many mobile games, Cristiano Ronaldo: Soccer Clash is loaded with in-app purchases. 

While playing the game, you earn bags filled loot, such as new cosmetics for your character or balls to use during shootouts. You can customize your character with new gear (though I didn’t see a way to be a woman) or upgrade your balls in stats like power, curve and accuracy. 

Like a game of a similar name (Clash of Clans, among others), the Cristiano Ronaldo mobile game has timers on your loot bags. For a bronze-tier bag, you only have to wait three minutes, but it goes up exponentially from there, starting with 24 minutes for silver bags.

You can spend in-game gold to speed this process up. Gold can be earned by playing matches, but of course you can use your mom’s credit card to buy more gold. Other micro transactions are available for cosmetics. This is the primary way Ronaldo and MVP Sports (which made the game) hope to profit on the free-to-play game. 

Sadly, the game itself isn’t really all that enthralling. If this game were on the app stores without Ronaldo’s likeness, there would be no reason to play or spend money on it. But because it’s got the most recognizable athlete in the world behind it, it’ll probably make some money, despite being a pretty shoddy experience.

So the Cristiano Ronaldo mobile game might be worth a download to check out because it’s free, but there isn’t really enough there to make me think anyone should actually spend money on it.