Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition

 Switch
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 4 out of 23
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  1. Unifyzero
    Nov 14, 2018
    6
    I love MFL, but... They need to release a patch that corrects the issue with the game freezing. I have 10+ hours, and have had the game lock up 4 times including the second play of the only online game I tried. Aside from the fairly regular freeze the game is great fun.

    The arcade football action is quite tight and offers a lot of fun right out of the gate. It's easy enough to jump into    I love MFL, but... They need to release a patch that corrects the issue with the game freezing. I have 10+ hours, and have had the game lock up 4 times including the second play of the only online game I tried. Aside from the fairly regular freeze the game is great fun.

    The arcade football action is quite tight and offers a lot of fun right out of the gate. It's easy enough to jump into the game and have some fun but does have enough going on that it takes time to refine your skills.
    Dynasty Mode is surprisingly deep as it tracks stats, has free agents, trading, player development. That being said it is hampered by not allowing you to change options (difficulty, game length, etc.).
    Presentation leaves little to be desired. There are plenty of game play options to tailor the game to your liking. While the commentary can certainly get repetitive it is well done though a little juvenile, and each stadium feels and looks unique.

    Overall MFL is definitely a welcome addition to the Arcade Sport genre, but a few tweaks would certainly help make this a must own. If you're interested buy it, if you're on the fence wait until the freezing issue is corrected.    … Expand
  2. bulushrimp
    Nov 3, 2018
    5
    The game would be some much more fun if it wasn't for ridiculous spikes in difficulty. Once you hit the 4th quarter of a match and are winning the AI will throw every cheap trick at you in the book to make sure you don't win. Make an amazing play? the AI bribed the ref which will overturn your entire play and penalize you for it. Quarterback makes a great throw? The A.i. will kill your QBThe game would be some much more fun if it wasn't for ridiculous spikes in difficulty. Once you hit the 4th quarter of a match and are winning the AI will throw every cheap trick at you in the book to make sure you don't win. Make an amazing play? the AI bribed the ref which will overturn your entire play and penalize you for it. Quarterback makes a great throw? The A.i. will kill your QB so you have to use a reserve one for the rest of the game. Defense sacks the QB? The AI will blow up and kill off a good portion of your defense immediately making you use lower stat players for the rest of the game. Its extremely frustrating and will make you rage heavily. Oh by the way this is all on easy difficulty by the way. I can only imagine how much more ridiculous the game gets on normal.

    i only recommend this If you used to play Mutant League Football or Mutant League Hockey on Genesis back in the day and can manage to get past the frustration.    … Expand
  3. Chubzdoomer
    Nov 7, 2018
    8
    Mutant Football League is the definitive spiritual successor to the original Mutant League Football on the Sega Genesis. If you're a fan of MLF or even NFL Blitz, you will love this game.

    Designed by Michael Mendheim, creator of the original game, MFL boasts countless throwbacks to the Genesis classic while also bringing many new features to the table. Yes, you can still kill players to    Mutant Football League is the definitive spiritual successor to the original Mutant League Football on the Sega Genesis. If you're a fan of MLF or even NFL Blitz, you will love this game.

    Designed by Michael Mendheim, creator of the original game, MFL boasts countless throwbacks to the Genesis classic while also bringing many new features to the table. Yes, you can still kill players to knock them out of the game--permanently. And yes, you can still bribe (and murder, if necessary) referees. But there's more. One of the most significant additions is a vile, vulgar, utterly hilarious commentary team voiced by none other than Tim Kitzrow, whose iconic work in such arcade games as NBA Jam and the aforementioned NFL Blitz speaks for itself.

    If you've never played the Sega Genesis game and aren't sure what to expect, here's a quick rundown:
    Mutant Football League is a violent, fast-paced, 7-on-7 American football game in which over a dozen teams comprised of skeletons, robots, superhumans, orcs, and aliens quite literally fight it out for victory. Fields are littered with deadly hazards like mines and buzzsaws and teams can even call "Dirty Trick" plays like "Shotgun," which makes the quarterback whip out a literal shotgun. There's also plenty of post-play fighting, so don't be surprised if a linebacker elbow-drops your star quarterback right to the morgue well after the whistle is blown!

    Offline you can play against the AI in one of several different modes, ranging from a one-time exhibition game to a full-fledged 13-game season (playoffs included, if you qualify for them). There's also local multiplayer/couch co-op, meaning you and up to three other people can play with or against one another. Online play is currently limited to 1v1, but the developers hope to expand on it in the near future.

    The game looks and feels surprisingly polished and is incredibly fun to play. The controls are responsive and intuitive and the AI can put up one heck of a fight. There's also a nice variety of teams and fields/stadiums. Additionally, there are plenty of options that allow you to drastically alter the experience. Don't like losing players permanently? Turn on resurrection, and they'll be restored the very next down. Don't like trick plays? Turn them off, and you'll never be crushed by a gigantic defender ever again!

    The Dynasty Edition ups the ante with Dynasty mode, MFL's take on franchise mode, as well as several brand new teams, stadiums, and species. Dynasty mode is an incredible addition to the game that adds tons of replay value and delivers an experience unlike any other I've seen in a sports game. The premise is simple, yet brilliant: You must develop a pathetic team into Mayhem Bowl champions within three years, else you'll be fired. You can improve your team by trading for top players, signing free agents, or simply bolstering the players you already have by improving their attributes via XP earned during games.

    Coming from the PC version of the game, the Switch port is admittedly a little rough around the edges. The graphics are a bit muddy and the frame rate seems to hover around 30, which is lower than I'd like to see for a game as fast-paced and arcadey as this. Additionally, there have been reports of the game hard-crashing, particularly when playing Dynasty mode. Although I haven't experienced these crashes myself and the developers are working hard to address them, it's something you should be aware of.

    Bottom line: Mutant Football League is fast, and it is violent. It will make you laugh, and probably even cry (losing a star player early in the game is never an easy pill to swallow). And although the Switch port is far from perfect, the game is still an absolute blast to play and the ability to take it on the go and play it literally anywhere is just plain awesome and helps make up for most of the aforementioned technical issues. As I said at the very beginning, if you're a fan of the original Mutant League Football or even NFL Blitz, you will love this game. Don't pass it up!    … Expand
  4. SuperKlyph
    Feb 8, 2019
    10
    First of all, it's the best American football game on the Switch... *badum chh*

    It's arcade football comparable to NFL Blitz but with a bit more depth - but not much. There is an involved franchise mode, season, playoffs, online, and exhibition. For what it costs, there is a ton of content. More DLC is incoming as well. It compares favorable to the PS4 version. It is in lower    First of all, it's the best American football game on the Switch... *badum chh*

    It's arcade football comparable to NFL Blitz but with a bit more depth - but not much. There is an involved franchise mode, season, playoffs, online, and exhibition. For what it costs, there is a ton of content. More DLC is incoming as well.

    It compares favorable to the PS4 version. It is in lower resolution, but honestly it's not noticeable unless you are intentionally comparing it side-by-side. I love this game.

    Here are two recommendations:

    #1: turn the game speed on "fastest." Anything below that feels too slow. Fastest seems just right for arcade football.

    #2: turn off "Dirty Tricks." It's cute, but also infuriating. Lose it.    … Expand
  5. md5fungi
    Jan 7, 2020
    7
    Years before the very chaotic and ridiculous NFL Blitz was released for the Nintendo 64, there was Mutant League Football on the Sega Genesis.

    Mutant League Football was essentially Madden '93 turned on its head: your teams were made up of mutants, aliens, skeletons, and other weird creatures, a variety of violent plays could be used to actually kill your opponent's players, and    Years before the very chaotic and ridiculous NFL Blitz was released for the Nintendo 64, there was Mutant League Football on the Sega Genesis.

    Mutant League Football was essentially Madden '93 turned on its head: your teams were made up of mutants, aliens, skeletons, and other weird creatures, a variety of violent plays could be used to actually kill your opponent's players, and cheating by bribing the game's refs was encouraged and extremely useful. The game is a classic of over-the-top, thrilling sports gameplay, and I'm still quite enamored to this day.

    To my pleasant surprise, Mutant Football League (a slightly different title) was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018, essentially a remake of the Genesis classic.

    Mutant Football League does not exactly stand up to modern football games in all the ways sports game fans might expect: you don't get all the fancy game modes and a ton of features, you're not going to see beautiful replays with dynamic cameras, and it's not an evolution of the Madden series in any sense of the word. However, when taken as a spiritual successor or remake of the classic Genesis game, MFL succeeds.

    The classic gameplay of Mutant League Football has been revived and updated in just the right ways. There are a plethora of "Dirty Tricks" you can call instead of normal plays, resulting in the football exploding at the end of the play, your players to spontaneously become gigantic, and other outcomes which will likely result in your opponent's players' untimely demise. You can also injure and bodyslam other players after plays to deal more damage, taking a cue from NFL Blitz's violent playbook. Each match is commentated by a number of unsavory individuals who meander from cheesy to vulgar to just plain strange, and while it most definitely gets old quickly, it's an important reminder that this game isn't meant to be taken seriously.

    The problem with many sports games is that lingering feeling that the AI is cheating. In Mutant Football League, cheating is the name of the game, so make sure to cheat back! You can once again bribe the refs to have random penalties called on your opponent, in which case they will surely try to kill the offending ref (which can be avoided if you can run him out of bounds)! It's actually refreshing that you're able to inflict some unfairness upon your AI opponent, which is not the norm in modern sports games.

    So what is actually significantly different here from the original? The major difference in Dynasty mode. This is essentially a create-your-own team franchise game mode. You are tasked with leveling up a mediocre team from the ground-up, making smart free agent signs and trades with other teams when prudent, and figuring out who is going to be your best backup when a star player inevitably dies during a match. The roster management is simple but fun.

    At the end of the day, Mutant Football League doesn't really innovate when it comes to football video games. Instead, it takes a classic formula that works and improves upon it. For fans of the original, this is a definite buy. For people that want a solid football experience that doesn't take itself seriously, this is worth a look. For everyone else, maybe look elsewhere.    … Expand
  6. Mayhem13
    Feb 7, 2019
    10
    The first Football game on the Nintendo Switch! And it's a blast. Thank you!!!
  7. Maximinn
    Feb 7, 2019
    8
    A great arcade football game. Definitely the best option for football on the switch (albeit the only option). It's arcade nature makes it easier to understand than Madden and the dirty tricks add a fun spin on the game.
  8. Badcalvin
    Feb 7, 2019
    9
    Exactly what i wanted in the game. I don't care much for Football games, but I do enjoy the Blitz, and this game quite a lot. It reminded me of the old Sega game. Plenty of teams to play around with, and the enough dirty tricks, etc to keep you happy. Very fun.
  9. Slnavi
    Feb 7, 2019
    9
    Great game. Play is ridiculous, while core football elements are fine. Anyone who thinks it is too hard unfair, or not a proper football game has the wrong expectations. It's fun football, not a Sim. Switch version is the best version because you can play on the go
  10. HawaiianJohn
    Mar 3, 2019
    9
    I absolutely love this game! The commentary is crass and obnoxious... exactly how a Mutant Football League play-by-play should be. The blood and gore can be tuned up or down to your liking as well as adult commentary "beeped" for younger audiences.

    The only thing missing, which would definitely make me give it a 10 is custom Team Building and Paint Schemes, Replay, custom controller    I absolutely love this game! The commentary is crass and obnoxious... exactly how a Mutant Football League play-by-play should be. The blood and gore can be tuned up or down to your liking as well as adult commentary "beeped" for younger audiences.

    The only thing missing, which would definitely make me give it a 10 is custom Team Building and Paint Schemes, Replay, custom controller inputs and cross-play! Because there's no cross-play, I bought the game for PC (via Steam) and Nintendo Switch.

    The difference in controller assignments sometimes messes me up since they are different between consoles. It would be nice to be able to assign buttons so that they would be the same across platforms.

    BTW - this is better than ANY Madden game could ever be! Just my opinion. ;)    … Expand
  11. buckyr
    Feb 13, 2019
    9
    So, so much fun. Allocating experience points and building up your roster in a strategic manner based on your team character types reveals surprising depth, as does earning offensive and defensive formations and plays to expand your playbook. There's great diversity in the playing surfaces and unique strategy to employ at each venue. I love that you can be hopelessly behind on theSo, so much fun. Allocating experience points and building up your roster in a strategic manner based on your team character types reveals surprising depth, as does earning offensive and defensive formations and plays to expand your playbook. There's great diversity in the playing surfaces and unique strategy to employ at each venue. I love that you can be hopelessly behind on the scoreboard and shift strategies to try and make the opposition forfeit.

    The drawbacks are minor: the commentary is a bit much for me, there are small glitches such as burn returner statistics not being recorded correctly, and of course, there's the glaring absence of the Bengals.

    Minor quibbles aside, this is a faithful update of a classic with new features galore, and an absolute steal at the price.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Switch Player
    Apr 17, 2019
    50
    Despite providing a lot of content, Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition is a sports game undecided about its audience. It mixes elements typical of both simulation and arcade experiences, but ends up coming touching down too early on both fronts.
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  2. Nintendojo
    Feb 4, 2019
    58
    If you take out the game’s Dirty Tricks, on-field murders and hazards on the turf, Mutant Football League is a pretty faithful football game at its core. With EA’s Madden franchise absent on Switch, MFL is the only game in town for fans of American football. Despite the game’s crude commentary, it can be an enjoyable experience, and there is a lot to enjoy from the game’s terrific presentation. Those who dread skill being undermined by luck may find the game a tad bit frustrating, however.
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  3. Gaming Age
    Nov 20, 2018
    75
    Mutant Football League is a nice alternative for those that are put off by the Madden juggernaut. Dynasty Edition adds some minor features, but it’s an affordable package which can easily appeal to fair-weather as well as lapsed football game fans. Digital Dreams delivered on their crowdfunding campaign and then some. Now who do I have to speak with to get a Mutant Hockey League?
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