First released in November 2020, Dream League Soccer 2021 is the latest installment in the Dream League Soccer video game series. The series which originally began in 2011 was developed by British studios First Touch Games and X2 games and released as First Touch Soccer until its recent renaming.

With Sports broadcaster, Gary Bloom as the commentator, Dream League Sports 2021 is a captivating game, one that you can never get bored with. From varying modes, skills, players, and excellent graphics, the possibilities are endless.

Game Objectives

Just as its predecessors, Dream League Soccer 2021 or DLS 2021 is a soccer game that delivers a never-seen-before approach to the football gaming experience. While it stays true to most of the series fundamental characteristics, DLS 2021 offers new and improved takes on those same features with more action, better graphics, and smoother gameplay.

This game thrusts you right into the heart of the action in which you are playing from the perspective of a football club manager. Your job in the game is to build your perfect dream team with an impressively wide array of over 4000 FIFPro licensed players to choose from.

With your team all arranged and suited up to play, the players can be trained to take to the field and play against the best soccer clubs the game has to offer. You enjoy the thrill of having your team and players at the helm of your mastermind planning while savoring the unbelievable character and team customizations, the immersive nature of the graphics, and of course, the excellently done in-game commentary.

How to Play the Game

There are 8 divisions that you can play through and conquer to reach legendary status. After reaching legendary status, you can now enjoy the array of well over 10 cup competitions that DLS 2021 provides you with. When you build your dream team from the thousands of licensed players at your fingertips, you can then customize your team’s kit, logo, and even spice things up by importing your own creations. As you build your soccer empire, do not forget to build your own facilities such as a stadium to even training centers.

As expected with a football game, you can put your team up for games and take part in regular seasons. From game to game, you start to rise in the ranks through the divisions. Should you need more players aside from those provided for you in the catalog, you can simply recruit agents and scouts to make things even more interesting. These recruit agents and scouts then do all the work for you by searching for the best talents around to make your dream team what it needs to be. With your coach skills, you can train and improve your players’ skills both technically and physically.

Taking your players to the field is a whole different ball game. With the basic controls provided, you can play and kick your way to success. The controls remain the same as they have always been. The virtual joystick on the bottom left allows you to control the ball on offense or the player closest to the ball on defense. 

The three buttons on the bottom right serve different purposes, either hard, high kicks, soft, low kicks, or lofted kicks, depending on whether you are playing offense or defense. Great knowledge of the controls also allows you to dribble, slide tackle, and perform any skill. 

Major Strengths Of Dream League Soccer 2021

There is plenty to love about the Dream League Soccer series as a whole and even more to love about this installment. First, I have to appreciate how the game is not just a pure soccer management game like Football Manager. You have control of everything from managing, playing on the field, and coaching, DLS 2021 is your oyster. 

While this new expansion of controlling your players and coaching them too might take a bit to get used to, you can trust the DLS fundamentals in being easily understandable. It did not take long for me to fully master the game’s controls and in no time, passing, shooting, and tackling became simple to perform. 

The tutorial stage being easily accessible is also a feature that I appreciated in the early stages of getting a grasp of the game. It was also a great experience to be able to connect with friends and other people from all across the globe with Friend Matches in the newly included multiplayer mode and the Dream League Live mode. This would easily appeal to a gamer’s competitiveness as you then stand the chance to compete in Global Leaderboards, events, and cup championships. The Career mode is also fun and interesting, and you can get to know your players, their strengths, and their weaknesses even better. 

Flaws Spotted in  Dream League Soccer 2021

Just as with every great game out there, DLS 2021 has its own downsides. While there is a large range of players to buy, you still need to wait until one becomes available. Upgrading the team and facilities also come with a huge price tag on it. Another issue  DLS 2021 had was the control systems. While I did get used to it, it would be hard to paint it as all perfect.. 

Final Verdict

Aside from the monetization and difficulty of getting in full understanding and control of the game, Dream League Soccer 2021 is an awesome game. The secret to truly enjoying this game is getting the best players to build your perfect dream team. The work does not stop there as you also work on increasing and boosting their skills. Should you get bored with what the AI has to offer, step right into the multiplayer mode. DLS 2021 is a true gamechanger!