It’s been three years since Nacon’s last published rugby title saw the light of day, and I’m sure most would agree it wasn’t exactly what you’d call an “instant classic” - as far as the field of digital sports experiences are concerned, at least. With Rugby 25, the latest ball-kicking, high-tackling entry in rugby gaming, developers Big Ant Studios (responsible for the likes of Cricket 24 and AFL Live, among other sporting titles) replace the prior instalment’s (also Nacon-owned) team over at Eko Software – and if you were hoping for a truly authentic or even remotely engaging time here, I suggest you turn and run in the opposite direction while shielding your children’s eyes. This ain’t pretty. Not by a long shot, coach.

My descent into the depths of disappointment began right out of the gates, being unceremoniously dropped off at the game’s barebones main menu with zero fanfare whatsoever. Naturally, with a shiny new title such as this, my first self-assigned objective was to seek out and complete every available tutorial (all of which are confusingly contained within the “Extras” submenu, instead of the “Rugby Academy” option) – slowly levelling up my understanding of the core gameplay mechanics before jumping into the real deal. At first glance, everything appears to be in order. From goal kicking and scrums, to rucks and passing, all the fundamentals are present. It’s not long at all, however, before major red flags start popping up upon loading into one or two of these guides.



First of all, the in-game explanations given throughout the 15 available tutorial sections are extremely vague, poorly written, and outright fail to mention crucial gameplay mechanics (like how holding in the kick button affects power and distance during a basic kick or punt). Secondly, repeating the scrum tutorial will often end up with the player furthest from the front row getting momentarily wedged in between the two sets of clashing team members in hilarious, jittery fashion. Thirdly, the line out basics tutorial seems to just be flat-out broken and impossible to actually complete. As you can imagine, witnessing all of the above in the mode intended to prepare the player for the game proper did not instil much confidence in me for what lay ahead. This genuinely might be one of, if not the absolute worst, series of in-game guides and explanations I’ve ever seen in a modern game release.



And yes, moment-to-moment rugby match gameplay is, quite simply, a joyless, baffling, and frustrating affair. Almost all interactions are accomplished through situational face button presses (on PS5) - like mashing circle to assign more players to a ruck, passing the ball to a player by holding down L1 or R1 and pressing the corresponding button hovering above a teammate’s head, or applying varying degrees of pressure to the triangle button for a kick – while movement and ball direction influence are tied to the left stick.

And yes, moment-to-moment rugby match gameplay is, quite simply, a joyless, baffling, and frustrating affair.

While this may all sound incredibly simple on paper, actually pulling off a halfway-decent series of plays or feeling as if you have any sense of consistent control over your team (or the match in general) is remarkably hit or miss. To make matters worse, on-field player controls often feel stiff, and some mechanics feel nowhere near as responsive as they should be, or don’t always appear to work as intended - especially when it comes to performing passes and anything ruck-related. In all brutal honesty, nothing you do during a match feels particularly effective or provides any amount of satisfaction from a gameplay perspective – aside from maybe goal kicks.



Besides the standard match mode, you’ve got a few other options to peruse – most of which sound appealing at first glance, but are soon revealed to be just as blandly presented as the core gameplay. You can play through, or simulate, an entire Six Nations Championship – complete with a rotating trophy model animation for the winning team after the event’s completion.

While there are other playable competitions available, the Six Nations was the only one that managed to claw it’s way to the front page of the main menu. If you’re feeling in a more managerial mood, you might opt for checking out the Career mode – which is unfortunately in dire need of a more comprehensive series of explanations and an injection of flair (much like the tutorial section). Here you’ll select both your team and sponsor for initial funding (completing bonus objectives can net you more cash), allocate ten points to different support staff functions (like fitness trainers for hastening player fatigue recovery), recruit players, run training drills, and attempt to carry your squad to glory. Yes, these matches can also be simulated.



In terms of customisation and licensing options, Rugby 25 does, at the very least, make some modicum of effort. With a plethora of both smaller and big-shot international teams to choose from (with both home and away outfit variants, of course), and all the preference toggles you’d expect to see in a rugby game (enabling/disabling injuries, changing time of day/weather, sin bin presence etc.), you’re free to customise your setup as much as you want. Half length, extra time conditions, and team lineups can also be messed around with pre-game if you so desire.

In terms of customisation and licensing options, Rugby 25 does, at the very least, make some modicum of effort.

Outside of match customisation, the inclusion of both a logo and a stadium creator tool took me by surprise, with the latter definitely feeling more restrictive than the former – allowing you to switch up or place down various bits of scenery and buildings, or craft the perfect emblem for your team’s shirts. Creating either a male or female player is also doable (although, as far as I can tell, female matches are currently unable to be played), with an impressive degree of customisation options available for you to fiddle around with – branching off from six different presets.



Players are free to share their creations with the world, although it would’ve been lovely to have the ability to preview stadiums before hitting the download button. As for the player likenesses and visual presentation, the in-game models aren’t anything to marvel at – although they’re certainly far from being labelled as outright bad or lacking in detail. The mid-match close-up shots and cinematic camera angles also do a pretty convincing job of emulating that live broadcast feeling.

Even with the included impressive licensing lineup and basic, yet nevertheless appreciated, levels of customisation, Rugby 25 fails on almost every front at being a worthwhile rugby title – feeling more like an unpolished beta build than a complete package. The fact that this is being sold for R1,149 (on the South African PS Store) blows my mind – and I highly encourage even the most hardcore fans of the sport out there to look elsewhere for their rugby gaming fix.

*PS5 Review code provided by Nacon