EA Sports FC 25 gameplay | What’s new on the pitch?
EA Sports FC 25 is set to raise the bar once again in its gameplay, and we have been lucky enough to see all the changes and improvements coming to these to aspects of the series’ latest instalment. From professional fouls to living and breathing stadiums, EA has gone to great lengths to make its upcoming football sim the best it’s ever been, and we’ve put together everything you need to know about the gameplay changes coming to EA Sports FC 25.
EA Sports FC 25 gameplay: Player movement
The visuals in EA Sports FC 24 were phenomenal, and there’s no denying it’s one of the best looking sports games of all time. EA is going one step further to improve upon them with featuring1.2 billion frames of animation to make each player move as seamless and lifelike as possible. Another big change comes in the use of the MIMIC system. For those not in the know, EA scans thousands of hours of real-world football to make sure players in-game move like their real-world counterparts. Last year, the MIMIC system helped to recreate upper body run cycles, however, this year players will have their whole bodies move like they do in the flesh, and we saw Erling Haaland’s full movement in-game to recreate it to perfection.
New goalkeeper playstyles and the professional foul
Goalkeepers are one of the positions within FIFA and now EA Sports FC that have always faced a certain level of scrutiny because of how they move or attempt a save never quite being able to fully recreate the authenticity of real life. With new goalie playstyles, there are some that are going to be gamechangers and we saw a couple play out. The ‘footwork’ playstyle sees your keeper put a foot out when someone shoots, offering additional range for the block, while ‘deflector’ will allow the keeper to punch away the ball and deflect from the attack to knock it in a different direction.
Another cool addition is the professional foul. We’ve all seen it happen during an important match, where a player will pull on a shirt of a player who’s about to break through on goal in order to stop play and help recompose the team. By pressing the right trigger and X/A, you’ll be able to bring down a player as they break past, although you’ll likely get a yellow for it, it’s going to help stop attacks in a new way when the skill of the player just isn’t enough.
Dribbling and passing tweaks
We saw footage of players dribbling looking much more grounded. Doing a 180-degree turn offers more control on the ball, all the while keeping the ball grounded. While it slows down play a tiny bit more, it offers more control on the ball. With passing, player accuracy is more integral now. Players can make mistakes when trying to turn and punt up field, as the ball will now go out of play or fail to find a nearby teammate to pass to. Five new skills have also been added as well, including the drag turn and big feint, making dribbling more fluid and exciting, and there’s more environmental awareness which can see players running into posts and putting their hands up if a dribble to close to the goal ends nastily.
