Videogame: we played Floorball League!

Known more simply as FBL, it is the first 3D game dedicated to Unihockey. Distributed in 2010, it is almost impossible to find, but not for Spartak Milan.

Even though it is a video game designed for Windows XP or 7 PCs, it also runs well on more recent operating systems (we played it on Windows 10).

Floorball League Pc Game

First impressions

Let's say it right away: even though it is a game that was released on December 3, 2010, from the first screen Floorball League seems like a video game that is at least a decade older. Let alone playing it ten years after its release.

The home screen is basic and no frills. The logos of the International Floorball Federation and the Finnish Salibandyliiga for which the game has licenses stand out.

The writer was pleasantly surprised by the power metal style soundtrack which reminds us that the product is 100% Scandinavian (foodies ed.).

The audio system is certainly the most refined aspect: playing with your eyes closed, the immersion given by the fans' chants and the crowd's noise is total. It feels like being in a real Swedish sports hall.

Graphics and gameplay

It's sad to say but the player models are a bit spartan and the movements very unnatural. One for all is the goalkeeper: a cartoon that recalls the Subbuteo goalkeepers hanging from a stick behind their backs.

However, it must be admitted that the developers have worked hard to give a bit of realism in contact situations and ball management. It often happens that you see players flying across the parquet and the ball doesn't stay glued to the stick (they could have made it another colour, at times it becomes invisible). Even the line change is realistic and has the right timing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq6hJAVpnow

Game and online modes

In this FBL respects the standards of every sports video game: training, matches, penalties, championships and tournaments there is everything to play in single play or with your friends.

We discovered this game during the Covid pandemic. Its online mode saved us from lockdown depression and we must admit that we had a lot of fun.

FBL intro

Home screen

Team Selection

Gameplay 1

Gameplay 2

Tactics

Gameplay 3

Gameplay 5

Virtual Floorball: successful experiment?

In the world of video games, FBL has practically no competitors. From memory we don't remember any other titles dedicated to floorball, apart from MER-innebandy, published in the mid-90s. Given the shortage, we feel like overlooking obvious technical shortcomings and taking the game for what it is: a good pastime to spend an evening in the company of your team when your gym is flooded and unusable.

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​UP	DOWN
- official licenses	​- not very fluid
​- realistic game situations	​- ball physics
- rendered photos of the players	- to much 90s
​- atmosfera da palazzetto	- slowdowns in cut scenes

System requirements

• Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP / 7

• Processor: 2.4 GHz

• RAM: 512 MB

• Video Card: 128 MB

• Hard disk space: 1.5 GB

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Browsing on the Prodigium Game Studios Ltd Instagram page we read a post from October 2021 which talks about the new project: the development of FBL 2 is slow but constant.

While we wait, let's enjoy some photos.

FBL 2

FBL 2

FBL 2