Overview

• Despelote, a first-person narrative game based on Julián Cordero’s childhood in Quito during Ecuador’s 2002 World Cup qualifying run, launched on May 1, 2025, for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, with a Nintendo Switch release planned later.
• Critics praise the game’s emotional depth, using soccer as a lens to explore themes of memory, community, and national identity in a politically and economically turbulent Ecuador.
• The game features a unique collage-like visual style, blending digitized photographs of Quito with hand-drawn paper-cutout characters and objects to evoke a nostalgic, handcrafted atmosphere.
• Gameplay centers on first-person soccer mechanics that simulate childhood play, with dribbling and kicking physics designed to reflect the uncoordinated joy of youth.
• While reviewers commend its storytelling and aesthetics, some note occasional technical glitches, limited gameplay objectives, and a sense of aimlessness in its two-hour experience.