
Release Date: May 1, 2025
A first-person football adventure game. The action of despelote takes place in Ecuador in 2001. We play as an 8-year old Julian, kicking the ball and interacting with various people and objects from the world. The boy wants to spend time celebrating the country's chance to qualify for the football World Cup.
despelote is an adventure game that allows us to play as an eight-year-old Ecuadorian celebrating the possibility of his country qualifying for the World Cup in 2001. The game is the result of collaboration between independent developers - Julian Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena.
In despelote we watch the events from a first-person perspective (FPP). During the game, we traverse Quito, the capital of Ecuador, kicking a ball in front of us. By passing the ball to different people, we engage with them in various interactions and get to know their reactions, as well as find out what they have to say.
Among the characters we meet on the city streets, we can find both peers of the protagonist (Julian), as well as adults. Not everyone shares the hero's enthusiasm, especially when he starts to misbehave.
The story told in the game has a bittersweet and of a partly biographical character.
The graphic design of despelote was maintained in a characteristic style combining monochromatic color scheme of locations with cartoonish, black-and-white character sprites. A physics engine has been implemented that takes care of the behavior of the ball, which we can roll in front of us, dribble and pass to NPCs.
Platforms:
PC Windows May 1, 2025
PlayStation 4 May 1, 2025
Xbox One May 1, 2025
Nintendo Switch December 11, 2025
PlayStation 5 May 1, 2025
Xbox Series X/S May 1, 2025
Developer: Julián Cordero
Publisher: Panic Inc.
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System Requirements for despelote Video Game:
PC / Windows
Minimum System Requirements:
Intel Core i7-7700HQ / AMD FX-8350, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 4 GB GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 8 GB HDD, Windows 10.
Recommended System Requirements:
Intel Core i5-8600K 3.6 GHz / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 6 GB GeForce GTX 1660 / 4 GB Radeon RX 580, 8 GB HDD, Windows 11.
Game Ratings for despelote Video Game.
Eurogamer: 5 / 5 by Chris Tapsell
Despelote's creators tell a remarkable, pseudo-autobiographical tale about football, Ecuador, and community - but also one about the act of remembering, and the creative act itself.
So Many Games: 4.5 / 5 by Jacob Price
Despelote will extend its hand to the player and invite them on a Virgil-like walk through the ever-increasing tension that permeated Ecuador in 2001. While the gameplay is not adrenaline-fuelled, its earnestness serves to be equally captivating and the primary motivation to see the game through.
WellPlayed: 9.5 / 10 by Josefina Huq
Despelote is a nostalgic first-person exploration of childhood, time, and play. This short story is emotionally gripping while the playstyle of kicking soccer balls and listening to conversations is relaxed and contemplative. Despelote will capture the hearts of many, in similar ways to how soccer did for the people and communities of Quito in the early 2000s. An artful experience that made me feel sad, hopeful, and achingly human.
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