eFootball 2022 review – as bad as you heard

The franchise formally known as PES has endured one of the worst launches since Cyberpunk 2077 but is there anything salvageable?

When Konami took the decision to release eFootball PES 2021 as a ‘season update’ this time last year it was seen as a necessary, if not entirely predictable, repercussion of a global pandemic that had put the brakes on much of the game development industry.

Essentially a transfer update to PES 2020, eFootball 2021 did exactly what was expected and was a perfectly decent entry in the franchise. 

Such a move also bred optimism for eFootball 2022. Said to be in development for two years, specifically to harness next gen console technology and built from the ground up in Unreal Engine for the first time, there was reason for excitement among the PES community, even if the iconic brand name became a casualty along the way.

That optimism, it turns out, was wildly misplaced. 

Announced as a free-to-play title, eFootball launched without any of the traditional game modes. MyClub and Master League (possibly under new names) should be added at a later date but launch gives fans just nine partner clubs to play with offline, albeit 200 or so (with made-up names) to use online.

Perhaps most worrying in the eFootball roadmap was the revelation that a number of gameplay features, including haptic feedback and adaptive trigger technology, wouldn’t be added until a future update.

If this all felt like disappointment, it turns out nothing could have prepared Pro Evolution Soccer fans for what was delivered on launch day.

Inevitably Konami took to Twitter to issue an apology for the many issues fans have experienced. If you’re a glass half full type of person you might be encouraged to read that a patch is on its way, but this will require extensive surgery.

A key component of a sports sim is its collision engine and recreating the physical battle was highlighted as one of the major additions to eFootball 2022. Promises like using a ‘charging command’ in defence hasn’t translated to the virtual pitch though and we have experienced major clipping issues between player and ball as, well as player versus player, leaving those dynamic battles unpredictable and the outcomes downright bizarre.

Although it is a free-to-play title and should be respected as an attempt to disrupt the sports gaming landscape, it’s hard to know what Konami has gained from this launch. 

Putting graphical shortcomings to one side, the gameplay itself has taken a backwards step. New features, such as sharp kicks, advanced ball trapping and power passes aren’t even in the game yet, whilst the football you can play feels dull in comparison to FIFA. A more measured style of football has always been synonymous with Pro Evolution Soccer, especially in the last five years or so, but eFootball has managed to remove every ounce of excitement.  

The speed of matches is ponderous. Every touch, turn, and pass feels like a supreme effort. Simulating real football is the goal but you do wonder whether slowing gameplay down this much does more harm than good. Largely, football fans want to play as their favourite players and have fun and it’s not clear whether football at this pace could ever be fun.

And so with one game mode, nine partner clubs, dismaying graphics, and stodgy gameplay it’s already hard to imagine any way back for eFootball. Even at this stage, with the promises of patches and updates yet to be judged, it’s hard to see how this can be saved.

Playtesters spoke about the game in glowing terms two weeks ago but it’s clear that they were playing a different build of the game, so perhaps there is room for hope in the future.

Konami will need to move quickly though as the damage done already is something they may never recover from, no matter what the game eventually turns into. The mere fact that eFootball 2022’s launch is being mentioned in the same breath as the disastrous Cyberpunk 2077 launch says it all.