Welcome to the latest installment of the PES series with eFootball PES 2021 Season Update. Developed and published by Konami Digital Entertainment, eFootball PES 2021 Season Update brings us all the great features of previous titles with a little more polish.

The game itself is an update to PES 2020, hence why the price is substantially lower than previous editions. Carrying over the gameplay and modes from PES 2020, the PES 2021 season update focuses more on the football than anything else. Starting the game up you’re greeted by a slightly different menu than the previous title with everything you need extremely easy to find and go through. For those of you that haven’t played the previous version here’s a quick rundown on each and what you can expect from them.

‘Kickoff’ is where you go to drop straight in to a game, either against the AI or local match against a friend or with one in co-op. ‘eFootball’ mode is where you go to compete against other users online in a multitude of divisions and tournaments. This mode can also be done in co-op mode which is a great little feature. ‘My Club’ is a full football experience of building your club from low tier players into a thriving mega club.

Find new players through agents, play ranked matches against others online or compete in some limited-time events and reap special rewards. Master league is where you go to ply your trade as a top manager. Everything you thought you knew and the things you don’t about what it takes to be a football manager can be found right here. Become an expert and dominate the competition in a range of competitions and leagues. Finally, there’s the ‘Become A Legend’ mode. This mode lets you create your own avatar and get a feel for what it’s like to be a rising star in the beautiful game of football. As you play, your play level improves and so do their stats so there’s plenty to grind out to become a legend of the sport.

eFootball PES 2021 Season update plays how a football game should feel. The speed of the game is slower than I’m used to compared to other football games but feels more authentic. The passing and player movement really reflect how it’s done in the real world. Shooting is as much of an art form as anything else and pulling off that net breaker requires perfect timing, power and direction. You notice the effort put into the mechanics of the game as you play with realistic mis-timed touches, over hit crosses and challenges that either make or break a chance. This sense of realism truly brings the football to life in all its beauty and frustration.

A nice feature in the settings menu allows you to vary the overall pace of the game so if you want your matches to run a little faster you can simply turn the speed up or turn it down to give you a little more time to work out what your next move is. Defending is just as joyous as attacking in this and making that last-ditch tackle to save a game really flows through you as they are sometimes difficult to make but feel amazing when you pull them off.

While the menu screen isn’t that exciting, the in-game graphics more than make up for it. The players that Konami have licensing for are exquisitely detailed and they look like the real deal. They even move like them down to the signature tricks and traits they have. The pitches look crisp and the crowds are engaged in the game. Like I said before, eFootball PES 2021 Season Update has a truly authentic football feel. The time and effort that’s gone into creating these players is definitely noticeable compared to the ones that don’t have the agreements for. The way players approach each other on the pitch whether it be man marking or down to the subtle shoulder bumps just feel super smooth.

The commentary seems a little lack luster on occasions paired with the crowd noise I feel and just seems to be missing that little bit of hype every now and then. Crowd noises are what you’d expect from a football game of this stature and prop up the mental intensity as they should. The soundtrack also gets a tick from me. Its fresh, mixed and ever so catchy so kudos to that.

In all, Konami Digital Entertainment has made some effective in game changes to what is an update to PES 2020 ironing out some minor details. eFootball PES 2021 Season Update is honest about being an update to the previous year’s game and for the price it’s a great entry for someone looking to try their hand at the more authentic football game out there. See you on the pitch!

Written by: MKAU Gaming