This game is so bad I can't stop playing
I've spent hundreds of hours playing eFootball, quitting several times only to keep coming back. The game has significant flaws, especially in single-player mode. The content is extremely limited - weekly events only offer items or a single gacha pull. eFootball has essentially transformed PES into a mobile gacha game focused primarily on PvP and collecting shiny new player cards.
Despite the minimal content, I keep returning for one main reason: Gameplay
Trivela from vinicius to mbappe,
As a football fan who has been playing football games since the Winning Eleven era (PS1), I've experienced many iterations of the sport in gaming. I've also put in 100 hours into EA FC 24, but eFootball's gameplay stands above EA FC 24 and sits below PES 2021 in terms of quality.
Compared to other games, dribbling in eFootball is high-risk, high-reward. Successfully pulling off skills gives you an incredibly satisfying dopamine rush, but failing leaves you vulnerable to losing possession. This game is the closest I've found to a true football simulation, rather than an arcade experience. Overall speed (sprint & passing) is just right, not too fast and not too slow.
I also love building my dream team using those shiny cards. Sometimes when I get bored using a full team of legend players, I switch to using players from the same club or country instead.
The Bad?
The gameplay balance between legend/epic cards vs standard players is a significant issue. While eFootball is fundamentally skill-based, and skilled players using standard teams can defeat those with epic cards, what happens when two equally skilled players face off? The difference becomes obvious, with the player having the better team holding a clear advantage. Well... If I take a closer look at real-life football, the better team with better players naturally has an advantage. So this one is not a bad thing, probably.
The Freeze animation mechanic is a feature that Konami should remove. Why should players remain stationary after losing the ball or when responding to pingpong? This seems to be implemented to accommodate mobile players, but it negatively impacts overall gameplay.
The ball goes past Davids, and Kaka do a 360 turn to retrieve it.
The possession playstyle is particularly punishing, one fatal mistake during build-up play can lead to a counter-attack and conceded goal. This is especially problematic because your player get caught in the freeze animation when these mistakes occur. Passing around the midfield becomes extremely dangerous especially when facing legend vieira or similar players. Their auto-defending and interception abilities are atrocious.
Quick Counter and Forward Overload tactics are made too easy to execute. Due to the freeze mechanic & auto defending, the meta/rat strategy of overloading forwards (CF + SS) without wingers has become prevalent in higher divisions. Players simply spam through balls during quick counters, waiting for one pass to break through to their overloaded frontline, usually facing only 2-3 central defenders when fullbacks overlap.
What I wish for Konami for future improvements:
- Adding more single player content (Master League please).
- Add more unique animation for each player.
- Reduce auto intercept & auto defending.
- Bring back formation setting from PES 2021 or increase the individual instruction limit.
- Fix glitch exploit (ex: corner glitch).
That's all, thank you for reading my yapping.