Is there hope after all? Konami will release patch 1.0.0 for eFootball 2022 in April and wants to save the football game at last.
When eFootball 2022 is released on Steam on 30 September 2021, it becomes a disaster: The successor to Konami’s long-running Pro Evolution Soccer series turned out to be unfinished, buggy and lacking in gameplay. Tester Dennis, like many other players, was more than just disappointed:
Six months later, eFootball 2022 is still in a bad state – even if it is now no longer the worst rated game (on Steam). But there is a glimmer of hope: Konami announces that update 1.0.0 with countless improvements will be released in a few days after a long wait.
Developer’s apology – and really a lot of changes
In a self-critical post on the (Konami page), the Japanese developer admits that they have completely missed their own goals with eFootball 2022 so far. They were desperate to release the game on time and completely lost sight of the quality.
The team now wants to change that and has been working for months on update 1.0.0 – the final release of eFootball 2022. The team collected a lot of feedback over weeks and is now ready to publish the numerous changes. And on paper, at least, they are quite something.
Better defensive control
In addition to countless planned bug fixes, the main focus is on some big, game-changing changes. For example, in defensive play: The default key assignment has been changed to make defending a bit more understandable from now on. In addition, the pressing commands from the predecessors return and with the shoulder bump via keystroke there is a new way to win the ball back.
Reworking of passes
The passes and therefore the general game speed were far too slow even for experienced PES players. For this reason, the developers increase the speed of passing and promise that from now on a rhythmic passing game, as it is common in modern football, is possible.
At the same time, the team has reworked the AI decision-making process for pass receivers and enables better targeting of passes. This should result in fewer misplaced passes. Finally, with the new Dream Pass command, you can now play very special passes that have a special trajectory.
Improvements for dribbling and shooting
In addition to Dream Pass, update 1.0.0 also includes a Dream Shot: players should be able to use it to score precise goals. Furthermore, there are also improvements to the trajectory and speed, which should provide a more realistic image overall.
This also applies to dribbling, another stumbling block of the previous eFootball experience. Konami promises more realistic movements, increased precision in ball control, easier feint controls and the new Sharp Kick command.
Fewer lags in online mode
Those who actually wanted to play eFootball 2022 in multiplayer mode could expect a mediocre connection quality with annoying lags. This should be a thing of the past with update 1.0.0, because from now on Konami relies on a client-server system. This should significantly improve the quality of the online mode, even though further improvements will be made in the future.
There will also be the addition of the game mode “Dream Team” – previously introduced as “Creative Team” – in which players can enjoy building their own team and take on other “Dream Teams” from around the world.
– eFootball (@play_eFootball) April 6, 2022
Return of old functions and dream team
In terms of tactics, Konami’s update finally brings back features that were actually standard in previous versions. These include line-up change, individual instructions, secondary tactics, data management and automatic selection.
On the content side, Konami renames the game mode Creative Team to Dreamteam and wants to give you more freedom. It would not be about getting the strongest players and coaches, but developing your own players. To do this, you can choose your favourite players and coaches, but subordinate them entirely to your own style of play. How exactly this will look in detail is still difficult to say due to the lack of information.
When will the update 1.0.0 be released?
The most important question at the end: When is the update actually supposed to be released? After all, the big patch was already planned for the end of 2021, before Konami pulled the ripcord at almost the last second and postponed development.
Rewards for bug-fest eFootball – KONAMI makes a fool of itself
Now, however, the time has really come. If nothing goes wrong in the last few metres, then update 1.0.0 will be released on 14 April 2022. eFootball 2022 is to receive regular updates and patches after that, which will also implement further new functions.
Now it’s up to the football fans among you: Will you give eFootball 2022 another (last) chance with the update 1.0.0 or will Konami not be able to win you back at all? Tell us what you think about it in the comments!
