Soccer Skills Champions League

A 3D football game controlled by dragging rather than by directional inputs. You drag from the player to draw a pass or a shot, the length of the drag sets the power, and the curve of it sets the curve of the ball — which is an unusually expressive control scheme for a browser game and the reason this series is worth playing. That scheme rewards deliberation. Because every ball is drawn rather than kicked, a through ball into space is a genuine act of intention rather than a button press, and the players who do well are the ones who pass into where a teammate is running instead of at where they currently are. Shooting with curve around a keeper is available to anybody willing to practise the gesture. The club knockout structure means single-elimination matches with no second chances, which adds weight to the later rounds. Matches are a few minutes, the cup takes half an hour, and elimination restarts the run. It plays best with a mouse or a touchscreen, since both suit dragging, and it runs on modest hardware. Straightforward to start and genuinely skilful to play well.