A lot of time and skill required: Fifa 21 puts amateur gamers to the test

The consoles glow every year in autumn. The reason for this is the soccer simulation Fifa 21, which offers an even more challenging gameplay. Whoever masters the innovations brings the opponent to despair with varied attacks. But it can be a long way until then.

It is allowed to cheer, sweat and swear again – the soccer simulation Fifa 21 from EA Sports brings a lot of emotions back into the living room with its new offshoot. While the big competitor Pro Evolution Soccer is only releasing an update of its 2020 version due to corona, the developers from Canada are sending a presumably completely new game into the race. Above all, the gameplay should be particularly interesting for fans and intensive gamers of the series this year. The casual player, on the other hand, is faced with a challenge: To really be able to keep up in Fifa 21, you have to train yourself to the new techniques and be able to use them quickly.

"Skill gap" is the technical jargon used to describe the difference between the skills of casual gamers and ambitious gamers. And this gap has become significantly larger due to numerous innovations in the game mechanics. Above all, the "creative runs" are an element that can become a game changer. With a key combination the player can slip from the role of the pass giver to that of the pass recipient. You then control the route of your play station individually. This creates a lot of confusion for the opponent, but is not exactly easy to implement. Without quick and precise handling you can quickly lose the play equipment.

With the new agile dribbling, an even finer ball control is possible, the opponent can be danced out in a confined space. However, this ability depends on the type of player. Small and agile kickers like Lionel Messi or Eden Hazard are better at this skill than storm tanks like Romelu Lukaku or Harry Kane.

And yet such beefy strikers can now be used much better in the new Fifa. A weighty element is responsible for this, which the gamer does not have to take on himself – the "positioning personality" of opponents and AI-controlled players. The teammates now recognize rooms much more intelligently and start corresponding routes – or are often spot on. The "eye for goal" is thus implemented really well virtually. This ensures varied moves on the offensive, but the computer also makes optimal use of every gap in defense.

The foray into a much more manual gaming experience at EA is not really new. The developers started such an ambitious undertaking two years ago with a less AI-heavy defense, last year with more difficult deals. After numerous complaints from the fan base and several patches, Fifa then became more accessible to inexperienced players.

Relaxed in manager mode to the championship title

You can have fun with Fifa 21 even without the great skills, because the different modes such as a career as a manager or a player have become much more varied. In transfer negotiations, you can now vigorously haggle over the transfer fee and later with the player over clauses and salaries. Once the new addition has arrived, new training options enable more targeted development.

With the newly added interactive game simulation, you can follow the game on the virtual tactics board and join in at any time. You then convert the decisive penalty personally or keep the store closed in the final phase.

If you like it a little more story-heavy, you can experience at least a little two-hour football adventure in the Volta mode. In "The Debut" the player tries to kick his way to a major tournament in Dubai and challenge "final bosses" like the Brazilian legend Kaká. The street soccer version is waiting for you with tricks on the assembly line and ultra-detailed football fields across the globe – even booth magic in the hall is possible. Volta has become even more individual, your own street footballer can be pimped up with a lot of cosmetic little ones. However, this has no influence on the game.

Suffering shared, fun twice

The heart of the Fifa series remains the "Ultimate Team" mode. Here the developers have fulfilled what is probably the greatest wish of online gamers. There are several options for collecting points and coins in co-op mode in order to then properly upgrade your own team. The tough processing of 40 games in "Squad Battles" mode is finally bearable and even fun.

In Ultimate Team there are also the well-known modes "Division Rivals", "FUT Champions" and "Squad Building Challenges". In terms of licenses, the large franchise has lost the entire second division in Italy and the rights to AS Roma, which was quickly renamed FC Roma. Player pictures and names will be retained by FIFA. The stadium of your own club can now be painted in bright colors, trophy-like sculptures adorn the stands and bass-heavy disco music plays a la Scooter at goals.

FIFA 21 – (including free upgrade to PS5) – (Playstation 4)

*Data protection

The big point of criticism of Ultimate Team, the "pay to win" character, has not changed. Anyone who wants to have a star-studded team that is competitive in online games in this mode has to invest – either real money or an enormous amount of time. After all, the developers have slightly expanded the options for earning the in-game currency via goals and tasks.

The biggest negative aspect of the game, however, is the visuals. Apart from a prettied layout, there are absolutely no graphical differences to FIFA 20. Everything is still coherent, pompous and dramatic, but the game has already reached the limits of the current generation of consoles with its predecessor. The announced upgrade for the new generation of consoles that is included in the purchase price gives rise to at least some hope. So it didn't turn out to be a completely new Fifa after all, rather a particularly extensive and satisfactory update that primarily rewards the ambitious and talented players. Anyone who invests time to master the subtleties will have a great advantage – and will also celebrate significantly more victories in the end.

Fifa 21 is now available for the Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.