Old Time Hockey will feature players with their own stats, but team selection is ultimately more important, developer V7 told Stevivor.

“Players all have their own stats and there is definitely some variance,” said Director Karthik Venkateshan. “But we have had to dial down the effects of those stats and no one player is more powerful than the other as we are delivering an arcade experience. In order to deliver a fun and easy to pick game, we have had to really think of all design mechanics in discrete terms. We have consciously made sure that it is easy for anyone to explain the underlying rules of OTH.

“What gets you on fire? The answer is, ‘3 hits get you on fire’ rather than ‘if you get a few hits, a few shots, you are spending a good amount of time in their zone, and Player A’s rating is higher than Player B’s’.”

Gamers are best to select a team — of which ten are available and four are Canadian (Moose Jaw, represent!) — that suits their play style rather than trying to single out specific players.

“While there is some variation in the teams with respect to forechecking patterns and preferences built into them, the choice really boils down to if you want a team with good skaters or a good goalie,” said Producer, Mike Torillo. “Some of them let in some real stinkers if you are not aggressively defending your zone!

“My personal favorite is Les Voyous de Quebec but that has more to do with their backstory than anything else. And yes, the team’s hockey systems have been loosely modelled based on teams from the 70s. The game is pretty fast though, so it is not easy to notice such differences.”

Old Time Hockey heads to PC and PS4 later this month, complete with a one-handed ‘beer mode’ control scheme. The title will also feature on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch at later dates.