On Tuesday, EA Sports officially debuted its FIFA 21 gameplay trailer. It follows in the footsteps of their recent UFC 4 gameplay trailer, giving a decent overview of what’s new. Among the features on display are Agile dribbling, Creative Runs, and Positioning Awareness. Here’s more about the new game and what it brings to the pitch.
New FIFA 21 Gameplay trailer debuts online
Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen a few video trailers released for EA’s upcoming FIFA 21 game. One of those was to show off next-generation gameplay and graphics for the Sony PlayStation 5. The other was a FIFA 21 cover reveal trailer which also included some of the in-game footage. However, that mostly presented the FIFA 21 Ambassadors including PSG’s Kylian Mbappe.
With the arrival of the FIFA 21 gameplay trailer, gamers are now getting more insight into what has been updated or added for the new game’s handling. The video clocks in at just over three minutes but gives us quite a bit to digest.
Based on the trailer, EA developers focused on agile dribbling, creative runs, positioning personality, attacking, and defensive awareness. The main objective is smoother gameplay in terms of passing, dribbling, defending, blocking, and connecting on headers.
Agile Dribbling, Creative Runs, & Positioning Personality amongst key updates
It appears that EA has brought some helpful changes in terms of the passing and running aspects of gameplay. With Agile Dribbling, there will be more room for “creativity in 1-on-1 situations.” Per EA’s gameplay notes, that includes a more responsive close control, and new skill moves including a “ball roll fake.”
Creative runs will give gamers more options on the attack. Those include the use of the right stick to control the direction of the runs your teammates make. A flick of the right stick will help decide where a teammate runs after passing the ball. Gamers will be able to press in both sticks on the controller to lock a current player on the attack.
Positioning personality is a new upgraded based on players and intangibles they might excel at on the pitch. The upgrade makes sure certain players “are in the right place at the right time.” Examples include Kevin de Bruyne finding the perfect space to make a pass or a midfielder like Fabinho being able to shut off passing spaces.
Other fundamental gameplay updates
EA mentioned a number of other updates for gameplay fundamentals. These relate to areas including passing, blocking, headers, and more. Here’s an overview, per EA:
- Passing – A more perceptive understanding of space and opposition positioning allows players to play a more intelligent passing game in FIFA 21
- Blocking – A new blocking system creates more balanced outcomes when defenders block shots and crosses
- Responsiveness – Faster reaction times unlock more responsive players, enabling them to better escape from tight situations when under pressure from opponents
- Manual Headers – Take full control over headed shots and passes with manual headers that send the ball exactly where you aim
There’s more than those when it comes to gameplay. Other key improvements that EA is touting include smoother on-field encounters and enhanced CPU AI and Competitor Mode. Those who want to dive even deeper, can check out the full gameplay notes here.
Gamers can test EA’s FIFA 21 gameplay when the game arrives on October 9 for Standard Edition. Those who pre-order the Champions or Ultimate versions will get to play three days earlier.
Visit our FIFA news page for more updates.