eFootball is a new start, but will it work? | Preview

eFootball is a new start

Once upon a time there was Pro Evolution Soccer, a full-fledged video game: an experience that every year came to the market with a complete package, which included all modes, teams and mechanics. PES is now dead (long live PES), but his departure has allowed the birth of eFootball, a real platform constantly updated over time and above all with a basic formula entirely free to play.

The we like this idea, because it could lead to a continuous development of the title without necessarily having to release a new chapter every year and force players to buy a different copy, perhaps with few innovations introduced that can justify the expense.

While the proposed offer is very interesting, it is necessary to evaluate what we will see and play on next September 30th. For the occasion, the developers told us and showed us something more about the game, also clarifying some doubts about future support.

Welcome, eFootball

eFootball is set to be a new beginning for the series, but as we mentioned it is a literal beginning of the term. The title wants to renew itself from time to time, introducing content and improvements to the gameplay with new updates, some paid and others free. A path that will take time and that can only start from a basis that will only be evaluated on the day of the launch.

The abandonment of the Pro Evolution Soccer brand is a courageous choice, but necessary to start from scratch and give create a completely new project for gamers. The name chosen, in fact, had already been mentioned with the last PES, the idea is linked to Electronic Football, strongly inspired by Esports, on which Konami strongly believes and on which it will focus a lot thanks also to a larger community and united (free to play combined with cross-play).

Initially eFootball will come out with friendly online matches and only nine teams, in addition to cross-gen multiplayer. The Roadmap already includes updates to the inclusion of cross-play in late Autumn, the Team Building Mode, the ranked matches until the start of the cross-platform Esports tournaments (also between mobile and console) and the support of the controller on Smartphone. >
More teams and new content (such as the Master League Career) will be introduced later with paid DLC.

A New Beginning

eFootball isn't just a fresh start when it comes to the name and structure, but also for gameplay, graphics engine and modes. First of all, the game has finally changed its engine, switching to Unreal Engine 4. An important step forward, which allowed the team to make a series of significant technical improvements within the game itself.

First of all the visual impact has radically changed and improved compared to the past and even if some parts have not fully convinced us, others have certainly left us satisfied, first of all the polygonal models of the players, almost identical to the real counterparts. Even the reproduction of stadiums, tunnels and changing rooms is certainly enjoyable, even if in this case the technical differences with Pro Evolution Soccer 2021 are not all that evident.

On the gameplay things change and it is certainly the part where the Konami team has worked the most. Notwithstanding that the game model will continue to evolve over time, the basic structure has already been tested and allows a number of things that are already quite inviting.

The most important thing is certainly the revised physics of the ball, the team collaborated with a research institute to study the movements and rebounds of the ball, making it drastically more realistic and allowing for smoother and more responsive ball movements.

Both in attack and defense, players respond with thoughtful movements and actions. calibrated, with the possibility of covering the ball, making tackles or physical actions. The eFootball development studio has collaborated with Iniesta for the offensive component and with Pique for the defensive one, managing to record hundreds of unprecedented game movements.

Thanks to new animations, a series of special kicks are now possible , such as long calibrated passes and precise round shots. All the action is never interrupted and the matches are much more pleasant to play and follow than in the past.

An important work has also been done on tactics, introducing new ones and improving others: now the team follows more action and is more precise in the readings, but on this point we would like to wait to try it firsthand before going into further details.

Interesting is the 1vs1 camera for duels: the game changes zoom depending on the game action: it widens and shrinks depending on the situation and this makes it more realistic and useful during individual actions.

Summing up

We are not talking about a simple game , eFootball aims to be a real constantly updated platform that seeks to bring players closer together thanks to its Free to Play formula. The idea we made is that Konami's new football epic is still at a starting point and it will take time before it becomes something really complete and structured, the idea of ​​making the basic version available to everyone is interesting , but we would not want the choice to turn into a double-edged sword for all those who are looking for something complete and profound right away.

The structure remains interesting and we are curious to see how the game will behave during launch and how it will evolve over time. Currently we can be satisfied with the graphic improvements due to the change of engine and all the new mechanics introduced, including the new physics of the ball; there is still a lot of work to be done, let's see what we will be facing next September 30th.