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For those who want to play some effervescent football matches on mobile, eFootball 2024 is a "winner".
Note: For American readers, the name of the sport is soccer, but I'll keep calling it football so as to remain consistent with the game's title.
Another year, another FIFA vs. PES showdown, at least in AAA circles. This time around, perhaps the biggest change about PES is the very name. Now, PES (which stood for Pro Evolution Soccer) is simply called eFootball, but rest assured that fans will surely keep calling it PES for a couple more years, same as when Konami changed the series' name from Winning Eleven to Pro Evolution Soccer.
eFootball 2024 on PC/console has spawned its fair share of controversy due to the graphics "upgrade". Konami shifted towards Unreal Engine from their legacy FOX Engine, and let's just say the results were quite underwhelming, if not downright catastrophic. This is not helped by the fact that last year's iteration of the now-defunct PES saga was barely a rooster update with some new background menus and not much else.
Meanwhile, the mobile version is not devoid of its own controversy, although the issues raised by mobile fans are largely distinct from those raised by PC/console gamers.
As a matter of fact, Konami didn't launch a new game on mobile. Instead, they overhauled the already existing eFootball PES 2021 and renamed it, a move that likewise generated some heat from mobile gamers who found themselves forced to upgrade their gear owing to the new system requirements. It wouldn't have hurt to launch a separate title and leave last year's version for people with a more limited system but, alas, this was not the direction Konami wished to move towards.
Mobile, for better or for worse, offers a bit more variety in terms of football games than console or PC, which is ironic. This is probably because developing these types of games on mobile is less demanding on account of the obvious limitations of the ecosystem. Nevertheless, due to this variety, the football gaming giants are encouraged to up the ante and deliver a refined mobile gaming experience.
It must be said that this version has a lot of things going for it. The graphics will never be like those you'll find on the PC or console, but at least, in a more general sense, the mobile version carries a distinctive PES feel, and it may remind you of the PES releases from 10 years ago. Contrary to what appears to be, at first sight, an understatement, is actually praise. We should be reminded that mobile graphics lag far behind those of current-generation consoles/PCs.
If you already played eFootball PES 2021, you will find lots of changes. The graphics were definitely improved and there's a bit more "gravity" to the gameplay, but the game feels a bit more sluggish in places. For example, I have found through passes to be erratic, and the players move too slowly for their own good. Perhaps Konami thought these changes would bring more realism to the formula, but on mobile it's a real ordeal, especially considering how mobile controls usually work.
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eFootball 2024 is a football simulator video game that tries to mimic association football matches.
As has been a tradition in mobile PES titles, the game modes department is very limited. Konami actually changed the game's launch policy this time around, offering PC/console users the online game modes for free (same as on mobile) but delaying the other game modes (such as Be a Legend or the famous Master League) for next year.
Traditionally, football simulation games would allow you to enroll in tournaments that emulate those found in real life. In this game, however, the approach is different. You may play online matches using licensed clubs such as Juventus, Manchester United, Roma, Flamengo, or FC Barcelona. Unfortunately, licenses for world-class clubs such as Real Madrid or Liverpool (current year's Champions League finalists) are not available as of this writing.
Dream Team mode, which is very similar to FIFA Ultimate Team, is the main focus of this game. In this mode, you start with 23 players who have relatively low stats, and you'd be incited to sign special players that have performed well in real-life matches to improve your team. You will also have the opportunity to sign standard players of your choice, as well as managers.
In Dream Team, you will be in charge of your players' development through level training and player progression. You should also keep an eye on contract renewals, as skipping this important aspect could spell disaster for your team. In addition, you must register your signed players so that they may be featured in matches.
Using your Dream Team, you can take part in matches against featured teams or with other Dream Teams through "User Matches". You may play against the AI too by selecting "VS AI Matches". "Events" enable you to participate in - you guessed it - events that happen in real-life football.
Then, there's the eFootball League, a Division-based league that will have you confronting other players' teams of the same Division. You must win a certain number of matches out of 10 to cross the threshold and advance to the next Division. You must reach the highest Division possible before the phase (lasting 28 days) ends in order to obtain rewards.
To wrap up, we ought to describe the gameplay at a pitch level. In a nutshell. you can choose between two different control types: "Classic" (using virtual buttons) and "Touch & Flick". You can always switch on the go between the two schemes, depending on what suits you better.
The classic button scheme is fairly standard. You have the joypad on the left and the different commands on the right that change contextually depending on whether you're attacking or defending. The "Touch & Flick" scheme, as the name suggests, allows you to play using intuitive gestures such as sliding or tapping in order to trigger the commands.
My verdict: eFootball 2024 is one of the best mobile football simulation games on the market, even when factoring into the equation the serious drawbacks and gameplay hurdles you may encounter. Be mindful that you won't get 9th-generation tier experience here, but that doesn't mean you won't be enjoying it.
Have you built your Dream Team yet? Let us know in the comments section below!
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