The name to remember is Dominator. He's never lost a game, and Puckoff: Reloaded wants you to find him. First, you'll have to make your way through the rest of its underground hockey world.
Kuura Playhouse released the game on Xbox Series X|S on October 30. In the accompanying Xbox Wire post, developer Marko Haaja writes about Finnish outdoor hockey as an inspiration. A visual-novel-style story fills the space between matches. On the ice, fighting belongs to the sport; goals are still useful, but they aren't the only way to win.
A rival before a result
We like the thought of a sports game giving an opponent a bit of history before you meet them. A win over somebody you've already heard from can mean more than beating the next name on a fixture list. Losing can give the rematch a purpose too.
What we'd look for is that personality carrying over into play. There needs to be something to recognise once the conversation ends. Haaja describes boss opponents in the Cage with their own abilities and ways of playing, which sounds like an opportunity to do exactly that.
We haven't played through those matches. How the fighting sits alongside passing and scoring is still something we'd want to find out. A game can allow chaos and still need rules the player understands.
Puckoff: Reloaded is available now on Xbox Series X|S. Its pitch is hockey with people and a story to follow. Keep that in mind before expecting the structure of a traditional sports simulation.