FIFA 21 is the newest installment of EA Sports’ extremely popular football game. The game is the overall 28th installment of the game and was released late 2020 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft. The game also had enhanced versions released for PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X, and Series S.

 The FIFA game series has a reputation for not making any big changes with each installment; instead the game usually opts for small tweaks with graphics, physics, and of course, updating the game’s player and stadium information. This doesn’t mean that the FIFA game has remained constant or has just gotten slightly better since it was first made. That would be very wrong as the small changes in the game usually amount to a lot of changes over time. 

For example, the FIFA 2010 game looks a lot different from the FIFA 2021 game. That’s because small and incremental changes have changed the outlook of the game over the last ten years. The point of all this is that the FIFA 2020 game isn’t too different from the FIFA 2021 game. Of course, there are a lot of tiny changes that will make the gaming experience better— or different, but it isn’t a different game from the 2020 version.

But that doesn’t mean we cannot judge it on its own merits, right? 

GamePlay Is Still As Good As Ever

For most people the thing that makes a soccer game good is the gameplay. Is it too fast? Is it realistic? How much time do you have to think? Does the game reward speed and strength instead of build-up?The answer that FIFA gives to the question is more of the same. The gameplay hasn’t drastically changed. The pace is still as good as you can get with any football game. The tactics are still decent, and some things have Improved. For example, the passing is a lot better and accurate. The AI system has also been reprogrammed (at least we think so), and now provides a better gaming experience for players.

Like in the 2020 installment, FIFA 2021 makes use of the real-life skills of the players very well and replicates them amazingly in the game. For example, Messi is as mesmerizing with freekicks in the game as he is in real life, Ronaldo is simply extraordinary with headers, and Neymar is constantly making runs to make space for other attackers to come in. 

The gameplay has also seen a significant boost when it comes to close dribbling. New runs and dribbling techniques have been added, which makes it easier for you to attack in a variety of styles. With the new additions you have a lot more tools at your disposal and you can break down resilient defenses in a hundred different ways. These attacking styles (which include tens of off-the-ball formations and direct-on-the-ball runs) may be rather difficult to master at first, but once you grasp the basics, the game gets a lot more interesting. Aside from that, heading is also making a comeback— so get your crossing boots on.  

However, the defensive gameplay isn’t all that great, and it’s super easy to score goals. So if you loved the fact that FIFA 2020 made it easy to have high-scoring games, then you would probably love FIFA 2021. However, since football isn’t a game of high numbers like basketball, you may not find this feature too amazing.

 The Modes Are Also Slightly Better

Let’s start with the Volta Mode in FIFA; the idea of street soccer modes has been around for a while, but EA only fully incorporated it in 2020. The Volta Mode stays in the game in the 2021 version, but it’s hardly the mode most people will want to play. Instead, they may opt for the career mode, which has a lot more changes. 

For one, if you’re a manager in the game, you’d get an authentic career option— which just means that transfers are a lot more realistic— and difficult to carry out. If you’re looking to build an all-star team capable of beating everyone and anyone, you may not necessarily like this. However, if you are after the authentic feel of managing a club, this is probably something you’d like. There’s also an improved player growth system that allows players to change positions through training. For example, a player like Jack Grealish who has great finishing could be trained to become a center forward. That wasn’t possible with the 2020 iteration of the game. 

Asides from that, EA has added some changes to the way you can simulate games. In the 2020 version, you only had two options. You either simulated the entire game or played the entire game. However, there’s now a semi-simulation mode. In this mode, you can simulate games, but will also have the option of jumping in when things get a bit difficult. 

For example, if you were losing during a simulated game, and you had only a few minutes to go, you could jump in to see if you’ve got a chance of turning the tide. You could also jump in if you wanted to defend a lead.

Ultimate Team Is Better 

FIFA’s most common mode is Ultimate Team, and EA has found a way to make it a bit better. The mode now has something called Co-op which allows you to play with your friends against duos from all around the world. Gone are the days where you have to go to Pro Clubs or enter online seasons to play a game with your friends. 

Verdict

While the FIFA 2021 game is amazing, it isn’t too different from the 2020 version of the game. Sure, there are some differences, but they surely wouldn’t make it feel like a new game. If you have the 2020 version already, you may want to consider skipping this one.