The next installment in the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise, the only real rival to EA’s FIFA, is not a new game. Konami has decided to put their full efforts into next year’s release – PES 2022 – with the new promise of a fresh next-gen soccer experience.
So what is PES 2021, what comes in this so-called “Season Update”, and how much is it? Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know ahead of the game’s update tomorrow, September 15th.
48 hours left! 😲🥳
eFootball #PES2021 SEASON UPDATE Launches on September 15th! pic.twitter.com/jf3jA8CRyo
— eFootball (@play_eFootball) September 13, 2020
As I mentioned, this PES2021 isn’t technically a new game. A lot has remained the same since last year’s title, PES2020. What is actually added to the game in this Season Update, which is coming in at around $20-$30?
Well, you’ll get a Veteran’s Bonus if you already bought and played PES2020. The rewards are divided up into milestones according to how many Iconic Moment Series and Legend Players you earned over the course of the game.
This means you shouldn’t lose your entire roster of Legend players and you might get your hands on some of the new additions. Three new managers have also been added, including Lampard and Guardiola.
In terms of gameplay, there are a few people who’ve got their hands on the game early thanks to Early Access. Take this Tweet for example:
Played about 3hrs worth of matches on #eFootballPES2021 and it’s def PES 2020 with some subtle changes that make the game more enjoyable IMO. Dribbling is awesome! The A.I dribbles at you successfully after all these years. Mids take you on to create space and rip long shots.
— 🅱️Man🐉 (@Bryan_Footy) September 14, 2020
These ideas about changes to the gameplay have been confirmed by others on Twitter, although it should be noted that much of this gameplay is single-player – multiplayer games aren’t playable during early access.
PES has been in the honest need of changes to gameplay after the last few years of releases. AI is notoriously shoddy, especially when it comes to fouls, refereeing, and dribbling.
While PES2021 runs on the same game engine as the previous year’s title, there is hope that Konami is listening to the community and providing the necessary changes in the run-up to next year’s apparently game-changing PES title.
Players won’t know for sure until the game’s Season Update tomorrow, and it’s right for the community to be wary when it comes to Konami’s promises about gameplay changes.
It is a suitable time for PES to make an attack on the soccer game market as FIFA21 looms around the corner. Year after year the FIFA community becomes more unsettled as EA rehash and resell old ideas.
Hopefully, this Season Update pushes PES gameplay in the right direction and posits PES2022 as a real contender to the FIFA franchise next year.
