Merge Puppet Soccer: Headball Star Soccer‏

Merge Puppet Soccer: Headball Star Soccer swaps real players for sock puppets and keeps the actual soccer intact underneath the costume. You still pick a team, still work the ball forward with passes and dribbles, and still have to time a shot instead of just aiming and firing. The puppet skin makes fouls and scrambles look sillier than they play, which is most of the charm.

The two-player mode is where it earns its keep - splitting the screen with a friend turns every match into a genuine contest instead of a solo run against the computer. Four separate control schemes are on offer, so whichever setup feels natural to you and your co-player, the game gets out of the way and lets the match decide things.

How to play

Choose your sock puppet team, then pass, dribble and shoot your way toward goal, using fouls only when you're desperate to stop a breakaway. Time your shot rather than mashing the kick button - a rushed strike is easy for the keeper to read. In two-player mode, split the screen and pick from one of four control schemes so both of you have a setup that feels natural.

Controls

the game's binding is unusual and kept as given: W, S, D and A to move (note the order isn't the usual WASD), Jump on its own key, Space for a shout or call ("Spacae" as listed), and mouse click to pass or shoot.