With FIFA 21, the new virtual football season has started. MeinMMO author Max Handwerk is building teams, nailing tricks – and finds: Progress is noticeable in three areas of the game.
The wind outside the window is getting stronger, the weather is getting worse, and the clouds are getting darker. Clear thing: Autumn is here, and just like the rapidly cooling temperatures, the annual FIFA title is making its way back in.
It’s become a bit of a ritual to ask: What has changed this year? Is FIFA 21 really a different game from FIFA 20? And more importantly: Is it better than FIFA 20?
I’ve had a chance to test the game for several days now, and I have the impression: FIFA 21 plays better than FIFA 20 in many aspects – even if much feels similar. Overall, it feels like a step in the right direction.
The improved gameplay
What makes FIFA 21 better in terms of gameplay? Anyone starting their first FIFA 21 match will find much that is noticeably similar to its predecessor.
- The graphics,
- the appearance of the spectators,
- the backdrop,
- the commentary
All of this feels familiar; improvements can only be found in the details. At least that’s how it felt to me. However, one noticeable difference is in the gameplay, as it does indeed have new features.
Shortly after making the first passes into space, it becomes clear: Somehow, it runs more smoothly than in FIFA 20. Players make runs in FIFA 21 that I haven’t seen in FIFA 20 before. If you play Toni Kroos in midfield, you can be pretty sure that the maestro will find a way to get the ball to another player. That definitely makes it fun.
Overall, the gameplay feels realistic. The new Agile Dribbling is effective, but not completely overpowering. Creative Runs open up new possibilities for creating attacks – even if they feel quite unusual and are not easy to execute.
Goalkeepers block attacks strongly, but without it feeling like a completely fantasy movement. Crosses come – finally! – right to the head of the striker, who then pushes the ball into the goal. Goals from corners are happening.
Strange hits, where the ball bounces back and forth between the keeper, goalpost, and attacker five times before landing in the net, I haven’t seen yet.
In short: The gameplay gives you the feeling of having full control over what happens on the pitch. That’s not always the case with the FIFA series. And that’s already a big step forward.
The career mode
What makes the career mode better? The career mode is the favorite of many players when it comes to offline modes. Here, you can take over your favorite club – or any other team in the world – and lead them to success.
At least in my first days with the new FIFA installment, I’ve had a lot of fun with the mode. Also, because it has introduced more elements for club management and player development. In the detailed test of the career mode, I’ve already described this: The new simulation, the additional training options – all of this can keep you quite busy. But those who have a heart for football manager games will definitely be happy here. And seeing how the diligently scouted and signed talents become stronger is even more fun thanks to the new development options.
One can only hope that the mode will be spared from bugs this year. In the first few days, I haven’t encountered any major bugs, but in previous years, the career mode had issues.
Ultimate Team makes it clear that it is not a football simulation
What makes Ultimate Team better? Ultimate Team is arguably the biggest mode in FIFA 21 and is packed with different modes. There are the classic competitive Division Rivals, Weekend League, revamped friendlies, Squad Battles, and the Draft. So far, so familiar – but much in FUT 21 is different.
Included are innovations like playing co-op online as well as the finally removed fitness cards. While the latter is just a small adjustment, it makes a noticeable positive difference: No more endlessly searching for fitness cards, your players are always ready to play. This eliminates a frustrating step.
Additionally, there are a whole bunch of new objectives and an improved reward system for advancing to a new division. Overall, playing is rewarded more.
The previously praised gameplay has also proven reliable in FUT so far. However, it remains to be seen how things will look when, starting on FIFA 21 release, the majority of players are in FUT, and the servers are under greater load. Because the best dribbling or passing mechanic is useless if it’s delayed due to performance issues.
Furthermore, FUT offers even more possibilities to personally customize your club. This is a bit of a double-edged sword:
- While it’s a bit unrealistic that players are kicking a disco ball around in a completely blue dyed stadium while the crowd sings the ManU anthem behind a huge picture of a squirrel.
- But customizing your own stadium is a lot of fun and motivates you to unlock further customization options. At least if you can accept that FUT is now an absolute fantasy mode and has little to do with football simulation.
There’s also a new main menu that should guide you faster through FUT. It has a new layout, which with unfamiliar paths from top to bottom led me several times to the wrong tab. Instead of the team, I suddenly edited my stadium. But well, that’s probably just a matter of habit.
A look ahead: Overall, the first days with FIFA 21 made a really good impression. Primarily because it’s fun to try out all the new gameplay tricks and learn how the game runs this year. It feels as if there isn’t a real meta yet, but that you can develop your own play style and succeed with it.
Are you a dribbler? Then it will be rewarded.
Do you prefer to whip long crosses into the box? No problem, that can also be a promising tactic.
Do you want to build your play around ball possession? This technique can also bring goals.
The career and Ultimate Team have interesting innovations – just like the Volta mode, which we still need to test further.
We can only hope that FIFA 21 can maintain this feeling. Because even in recent years, FIFA was particularly fun at launch but then changed due to updates and overly strong meta elements. One may recall the “Tornado crosses” from FIFA 19, which scored ridiculous amounts of goals.
But if FIFA 21 can build on the strong foundation it definitely has – then it could be an exciting season!
