A season update to the Pro evolution series saw the launch price slashed to as little as £20 in order to coincide with the content upgrade available from last years eFooball PES2020. So we’re going to take a quick dive into my impressions of the game:

Let’s take a step back to a few months ago when this was announced. I was on the fence with what we were getting. The positive aspect of this was that it actually made sense with Next Gen coming around the corner. I’d rather they concentrated on a proper PS5/Xbox Series X release, than make a half baked version; which they are doing, so that’s good!

What made me stay on the fence was the lack of communication to the fans and transparency in what we were exactly getting this year, £20 is still £20 (or £25/30 for Club editions). At first it only seemed like a DLC upgrade, and DLCs are supposed to be 10 to 15 quid, but that’s not the point, the way it was marketed at first made me think it was just a glorified Squad/Kit/Face update. That’s what I was very frustrated with.

Now fast forward to the present, after release, it actually turned out to be more than what I initially perceived. Yes the UI and modes stayed the same (with new background pictures and 1 new transition). But this was expected. Now what wasn’t expected was the subtle improvements they made throughout the actual gameplay, the key part of any game is the core aspect, the play-ability. This is what made me surprisingly happy and nearly content with this ‘Season’ update (take into considerations the limited time due to Corona). Yes it is still nowhere near what we as fans envisioned. However in my opinion this is one of the best Pro Evolution games of this generation. Game play wise (Interface is still dreadful, sorry not sorry. I won’t stop criticising their UI until it’s changed up).

Improvements:

• Ball physics
• Passing
• Lightness of dribbling
• Shooting
• Attacking variance from the AI (Still not up there, but better than 2020. You can see they try different tactics, less robotic)
• Player likeness (A lot of players received amazing touch ups)

Nothing groundbreaking, but the little tinkering all over the field created a much more balanced game, that is more enjoyable and makes you want to play one more game after the final whistle.

Since October 22nd, the game became more complete, as Konami released the first DLC with squad updates to match the transfer window, alongside kit updates + more faces / balls and boots.

So in regards to the actual game play, I’m enjoying it a lot more than last years edition. That’s not to say this is what I / we wanted. But it’s a good upgrade considering the current climate and the immanent release of the PS5/Xbox Series X. Hopefully they’ve revamped (not even upgraded), revamped the interface, deleted the old elements and made/make the front end of PES2022 look good! Match the modern era, sleek UI and transitions. FIFA is miles ahead in that department. No more excuses of, ‘we did not have time, so will do it next year as we are concentrating on etc etc’.

To the Future of PES, hopefully Konami start next gen off with a bang!

Thanks for reading, have a great day, evening, or night. Never stop smiling, peace out 😀

Rahan Uddin (Profifalution)