Nutmeg Review: A Love Letter to Old-School English Football Fans

Nutmeg feels like a proper love letter to old-school, Gen-X English football fans. It's set in the '80s - back in the day when my beloved Liverpool were dominating English football - and quite interestingly, it's the club you lead in the tutorial area. 

This makes me think there's a fair amount of LFC fans on the Sumo Digital team that made this game. I know by the time any LFC fans at Sumo read this, both of us will be devastated by the Salah leaving news, but mates, life goes on.

I wasn't born back when Liverpool were at their peak, unfortunately. My parents probably thought it would be a great prank if I got born at the start of the era that would see Liverpool fail to win the title for 30 years, so I didn't get to witness all those moments. 

But I do know a lot about it, make no mistake. After all, that's the biggest era for my beloved club, so you can bet I had to learn about it with a smile on my face.

Nutmeg takes that kind of nostalgia of English football and wraps it into a charming deckbuilding game that works surprisingly well, I must admit.

Deckbuilding Meets the Beautiful Game

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Matches play out as card battles where you lay down attack, control, and defensive cards to outsmart your opponent.

I did have my reservations when I first saw the concept, but it was the footie that attracted me to try Nutmeg, and I'm glad I did.

It's not as deep as some other deckbuilding games on the market, like the recent massive hit Slay the Spire 2, but there's enough fuel here to keep you going, especially since the game's tempo is quite fast. Matches last only a minute or two max, so you can wrap up a season fairly quickly. It wouldn't work any other way, to be honest, since we're talking about a card game and not an actual football simulation where you control the players. In a proper sim, you've got more opportunities for something interesting to happen and keep you engaged.

However, as you unlock new cards and get a grasp of things happening on the board (we'll call the pitch a board since that's where matches are played), a smart move here and there becomes genuinely satisfying. When your super shiny new card for hard tackling stops the opposition's high-percentage attack, turns it into a counter, and eventually a goal - it's a brilliant feeling. I'd be lying if I said I didn't fist pump when scoring a late winner against a bitter rival.

Building Your Side

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Players' "Recipe Traits" show which cards they can combine - finding players with the right combinations is key to building a strong deck.

So how do you build your deck in Nutmeg? Basically, you can hire coaches, train your players, and develop your team's overall approach. If you want to play more defensively, you'll hire staff that's good at handling and coaching that type of football.

Then there are the players themselves. The good ones come with special abilities that increase your chances on the board. For example, a player with the precise passing skill will have a better chance of completing a pass than one without it - it's just like the real thing and translates so naturally here, in a game of cards.

Before each broadcasted match (you can pick which match to broadcast, as that also gives you money - choose carefully, derby matches are usually your best pick), the game will give you a set of cards based on your players, staff, training, but also your tactics and formation. You can choose from defensive, control, and attacking mindsets, and these will increase and decrease one another based on what you pick (attack obviously decreases defensive security, and so on).

Match Day

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Pre-match planning lets you set formations and tactics and as you can see 4-4-2 "Hold Shape" was my go to tactic

Once the match kicks off, you and the opponent lay out cards one by one to try and directly negate each other's chances of scoring. Usually, it starts with the goalkeeper's kick, then you try to send the ball to midfield or go for a long one directly to the target man. 

You scuffle with the defence, get a nice little flick on for the forward, and suddenly you're one-on-one with the keeper. During this process, your opponent will try to lower your chances of success by countering with their own set of cards. Cards are split into attack, control, stamina, and defensive categories, and each can increase your chance of success on the board. So, for example, to win a midfield duel, you'll lay down a control card. Once you're one-on-one with the keeper, you'll use your attack cards.

You can earn additional card packs by completing various objectives set by the Board. Keeping the board happy and making your team stronger. It's a double win.

Cards can also be combined. You can create a much more powerful version by taking three of the same +10 cards to create one powerful +30 card that'll give you a much better chance of success. Card combinations are tied to players' special skills, so the goal of the game is to have the best players who give you these powerful card combinations.

Management Beyond the Pitch

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Transfer negotiations include the option to bribe players with arcade cabinets - yes, the '80s really were that odd.

Nutmeg also allows you to do a bunch of stuff that managers don't usually do today—like taking care of the financials, transfers, selling merch, upgrading facilities, and playing Snake when they're bored of watching opposition videos and tactical slides.

You can order new stuff for the store like scarves, caps, kits, and so on, but even here you have to think about it for a bit. Selling wool beanies in the middle of summer doesn't make sense, and your sell-through will be rubbish. Do it in winter, and it'll clear out.

In addition, you can't just expand your stadium for extra seats when you're not selling out your current capacity. The board will be like, "No, no, mister, gotta get some results first, raise our popularity, and when people start asking for extra tickets, we'll consider it."

It's a detail that adds a bit of depth to the whole system—nothing major, but it adds believability, and it was really nice to see the care the devs put in here.

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Your manager's office is a love letter to the '80s with rotary phones, chunky computers, and football fixtures pinned to the wall.

There's a transfer system in the game too, allowing you to get new players. The negotiating isn't as sophisticated as FIFA or Football Manager, obviously, and it doesn't have to be. Basically, you have the option to choose the bonuses, the salary, and even a gift—like an arcade cabinet, LOL. Yes, the '80s footie was a bit odd. You can also promise them first-team football, personal training, and more to increase your chances of signing them.

There's also the base player interest percentage that'll affect your chances. Players can be scouted too, allowing you to discover if any of them have special traits or skills, and this is really the key to making your team stronger.

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The transfer market refreshes monthly with new players available and you can scout most interesting ones for details on special traits

Another thing you can do is train your squad. There's a limited number of slots for player training available, and you'll usually want to rotate these for the players you really want to grow.

Again, these are pretty basic mechanics and nothing too deep. Overall, the systems in the game are a bit shallow, but when they come together to create this mini gaffer sim, there's a lot of charm and fun here that makes it certainly worth jumping in—if for nothing else, then simply for the nostalgia trip this release brings.

Nostalgia in Every Pixel

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That little telly in your office keeps you updated on world events, from royal engagements to Reagan's presidency

I do have to mention that the game really counts on this nostalgia to carry the experience. There's a small telly in your office with the latest world news, so you're up to date on whether Reagan won the American presidency, if Prince Charles got married, and who's the new snooker champion. All of that is neatly packaged into such a lovely visual design that just oozes charm.

Verdict

In the end, I had my fun with Nutmeg, as I'm sure every fan of football, especially English ones, will. It's not the deepest deckbuilder you'll play, and its management systems are fairly surface-level, but there's genuine heart here. The blend of card battling and football management works better than it has any right to, and the '80s aesthetic is spot on.

If you're after a deep, strategic deckbuilder or a comprehensive football management sim, you'll find Nutmeg lacking in both departments. But if you want a charming, nostalgic trip back to English football's golden era wrapped up in a surprisingly enjoyable card game, Nutmeg delivers exactly what it promises.