''Go! Go! Beckham! Adventure on Soccer Island'' is a

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by

Denki Denki is an interactive television and console game developer based in Dundee, Scotland. The company is the developer of over 180 console and interactive television games, covering a range of platforms. Denki has worked extensively in the dig ...

and published by

Rage Software Rage Games (formerly Rage Software) was a British video game developer. Formed in Liverpool in 1992, its video games were marked by an emphasis on graphical effects with arcade gameplay. Rage's first title '' Striker'' sold more than one mil ...

for the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

. It was released in Europe in 2002, and was not released in other regions. The game follows the main character,

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...

, on his quest to defeat the evil Mister Woe in order to restore peace to Soccer Island. Beckham can use his

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

in order to collect items and to remove enemies from play.

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...

's Tom Bramwell called the game the best original platform game on the Game Boy Advance released in 2002. As of 2009, ''Adventure on Soccer Island'' has received a compilation score of 75% from

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

Gameplay

The gameplay focuses on completing levels and collecting items to progress; there are around forty levels to complete. The fantastical

level design In video games, a level (also referred to as a map, stage, or round in some older games) is any space available to the player during the course of completion of an objective. Video game levels generally have progressively-increasing difficulty t ...

is similar to the type seen in '' Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'' and other 16 bit era games, while the gameplay is reminiscent of ''

Soccer Kid ''Soccer Kid'' is a 1993 Side-scrolling video game, side-scrolling Platform game, platform video game originally developed and published by Krisalis Software in Europe for the Amiga. In the game, players assume the role of the titular Protagonist ...

''. ''Adventure on Soccer Island'' utilizes the

skills of its real-life protagonist,

, as game mechanics. David Beckham must use his soccer ball in order to defeat enemies, collect items and progress through levels. Beckham normally dribbles the soccer ball, but the player can kick the ball in any direction to collect items and defeat enemies. Beckham can level up certain attributes after performing them enough; for example, his kicking skill can level up after he has kicked the ball enough. The plot of the game centres around Mister Woe, who has invaded Soccer Island; Mister Woe has taken all "precious things", and turned all the animals of the island into monsters. It is up to David Beckham to save the island.

Reception

The game received mostly positive reviews from critics, who were surprised at the game's quality; currently, the game has received a compilation score of 75% from

's Tom Bramwell noted that the game beat his low expectations, and called the game the "best original platformer on the GBA this year."

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

's Ben Cartledge felt that the game beat most other third-party platform games for the GBA.

Jeuxvideo ''Jeuxvideo.com'' (from ''jeux vidéo''; ; ) is a French video gaming website founded in 1997. History The website traces its history to a video game hint collection on Minitel, a precursor to the World Wide Web, and was founded by Sébastien ...

's Nicolas Charciarek had a more negative impression, comparing the game unfavorably as a "clone" of ''

Super Mario Advance ''Super Mario Advance'' is a series of video game ports for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance: * ''Super Mario Advance ''Super Mario Advance'' is a series of video game ports for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance: * ''Super Mario Advance'', a 2001 port of ' ...

''. Criticism focused mostly on the game's short length and ease of play. IGN's Ben Cartledge noted that the game was easily finished quickly, but that the real time spent in the game was focused on collecting items throughout gameplay. Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell felt that the game was too easy, and wished there was more content.

References

{{reflist 2002 video games Europe-exclusive video games Game Boy Advance games Game Boy Advance-only games Platform games Video games based on real people Video games developed in the United Kingdom Rage Games games Single-player video games