With the new release of “Madden” each summer comes a contingent of gamers and football fans who claim “it’s the same game with updated rosters.” To an extent, there’s a little bit of truth to that, considering the lack of wholesale changes that have been made to the game in recent years.
But at the same time, “Madden” remains an enjoyable football simulation to play each year alongside the real NFL season, and “Madden NFL 21” doesn’t stray from that. Despite lacking revolutionary gameplay updates, having bugs and glitches like always, and no noticeable features added to franchise mode, Madden 21 has enough minor improvements and a new game mode to make it worth picking up.
Before we get into the nuts and bolts, here’s how the Rams’ new uniforms look in the game, which fortunately allows you to mix and match jerseys and pants from all eras.
Gameplay: Skill Stick shines
Let’s start with the good. One of the most notable differences I saw with the gameplay was the revamped pass-rush methods. In past games, you would use Square or X (on Playstation) to either attempt a power or finesse pass-rush move, respectively. It wasn’t very rewarding and felt completely random.
In Madden 21, you now use the Skill Stick to rush the passer. For example, you can flick the stick to the inside for a club or swim-type move or down for a bull rush. Depending on a pass rusher’s skill level, they will have limited attempts, and offensive linemen build resistance to certain moves if you repeat them too often.
That’s a really nice addition to using a defensive lineman in Madden 21, which in previous games felt like a mundane task when you didn’t feel like playing coverage as the middle linebacker or safety.
The Skill Stick is also used on offense, of course, as a ball carrier. EA claims it’s all-new, but to be honest, ball-carrier moves didn’t feel revolutionary or much different than in Madden 20 or 19. Left and right was for juking, flicking up attempted to truck a defender and down performs a quick stop. Sure, you can combine moves to break a defender’s ankles, but that was also possible in Madden 20.
The Skill Stick shouldn’t go anywhere in future Madden games, even if it does feel relatively unchanged in this year’s edition. It’s hard to improve on a good thing.
As for other aspects of gameplay, it feels somewhat smoother and in a sense, quicker. I don’t know that the players are moving any faster, but the responsiveness is good in Madden 21.
And while there are some issues with physics in tackling and running into other players, for the most part, it was fine. There were times when passes looked impossible to complete with the ball magically teleporting towards the receiver’s hands, but those weren’t all that common – not as frequent as they were in Madden 20, at least.
The Yard = NFL Street?
Well, not quite. No game will match the arcade-style beauty of the old NFL Street games from EA Big, but The Yard is definitely a welcome addition to Madden 21. It’s 6-on-6 backyard football with your own created player and NFL stars. Immediately upon starting Madden 21, you’re tasked with creating your own player, which will be used in The Yard and can be developed and customized.
You’ll play as him in this game mode, earning points to buy gear – everything from jerseys and socks to visors, mouthguards and arm sleeves. You can wear a cropped jersey with a hoodie underneath, rock no-show socks and combine a Rams helmet with a 49ers jersey *gasp*. Customization is always a nice feature in sports games, but it’s unfortunate that The Yard is bogged down by microtransactions. It’s not “pay to win,” per se, but sinking extra cash into the game will allow you to unlock and buy swag for your avatar.
As for the gameplay itself, it feels familiar to a regular game in Madden 21 but with a slight arcade touch. You can do touch passes as a receiver, throw the ball behind your back and complete unlimited forward passes behind the line of scrimmage.
You can toss it out to a wide receiver on a screen and hit the running back streaking downfield, like in this clip.
And as for trick throws, they seemed to happen almost at random, but typically when holding spring and going on the run. It’s a nice element that doesn’t really require much added skill, but it adds a fun factor to an otherwise simulation-heavy game.
Here’s Kenny Golladay hitting Dalvin Cook with a trick throw on a field outside Lambeau in Green Bay – one of the challenges in The Yard.
After a touchdown, you can pick a one-, two- or three-point conversion attempt, similar to the XFL in real life. They vary in distance, making the three-point conversion the toughest to complete.
Oh, and each guy in the game is a two-way player, meaning they all play offense and defense, like in a pick-up football game. So here I am throwing a touchdown pass to Bears safety Eddie Jackson.
Franchise mode goes almost unchanged
For hardcore and dedicated Madden players, you’ll be disappointed to learn franchise mode was once again mostly ignored by EA. Everything is almost identical to Madden 20, right down to the menus, the weekly training and roster layouts.
There are no meaningful additions to the mode, which has sparked outrage among players calling for EA to focus more on franchise mode and less on Ultimate Team. Here are the updates EA says it has made to franchise mode in this game.
Franchise features an expanded Wild Card Playoff round to match the real-life NFL, the new X-Factors, updated rookie contract amounts to be more authentic, updates to all team back-end depth chart philosophies to match the team’s scheme, and more.
Not exactly an impressive list, or one that will make anyone want to buy the game more than last year’s edition. And trade logic for the computer still seems broken, with some deals being inexplicably accepted despite looking lopsided in a real-world sense. EA claims to be fixing trade logic, commissioner tools and improvements to tuning with post-launch patches, so we’ll see if it comes to fruition.
Visuals and presentation
The game does look great, even on a regular PS4 in HDR. For the most part, player likeness is accurate on the field, at least for the most prominent names in the NFL that I came across. Sean McVay looks pretty much like Sean McVay, Jared Goff’s build is accurately slender, Jalen Ramsey is wearing his two sleeves as usual, and Aaron Donald’s physique matches what he looks like in person.
SoFi Stadium looks predictably great in the game, too, even though there were initially some struggles from my PS4 to render the roof quickly. Here’s the intro to an exhibition game between the Rams and Chargers, showing off the stadium and each team’s uniforms.
Secondary game modes
The Yard is an excellent addition to the game, even if it is filled with microtransactions and pay-to-unlock gear. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a large contingent of players spending a lot of time in The Yard building up and progressing their avatars, especially after so many yearly updates with no game modes added.
I didn’t dive into Ultimate Team because of the time commitment that mode requires, and I only played Face of the Franchise for a short while. However, in Face of the Franchise, you can now play through two seasons of college football at a prominent program like LSU or Texas. I love that you can play as a quarterback, running back or wide receiver, giving players more options and potentially additional replay value.
Longshot in Madden 18 and 19 didn’t feel very rewarding and Face of the Franchise last year didn’t pique my interest for long enough, but I’m excited to give it another shot in Madden 21 now that you can play through two college seasons. From the part I played, it was entertaining, but the story was nothing special and there were a more cutscenes than I cared for.
Superstar KO may not be the most popular mode for hardcore gamers, and it seems relatively unchanged in Madden 21, but it’s a fun change-of-pace from the pure simulation aspect of franchise mode. And assuming EA keeps building on it as planned, there should be some exciting aspects added as the year goes on.
Minor bugs remain
As with most games at launch, there are a number of bugs EA will hopefully squash early with updates. For starters, the kicking meter is tough to read, with the bouncing bar almost disappearing near the top of the power meter due to high contrast ratios and a bright green color making it blend in.
There are also problems with physics and the all-too-common ragdoll effect in the game. Players’ upper bodies were bent backwards while running into a pile of blocked defenders, but rather than going to the ground and the play ending, they somehow escaped and picked up additional yardage.
Quarterbacks also have an impossible time holding onto the football when scrambling if you don’t slide. I know they’re more prone to fumbles than receivers and running backs, but a stand-up tackle shouldn’t result in a lost fumble 60% of the time, nor should a dive cause the ball carrier to drop the ball as much as they do in Madden.
While I didn’t run into an overwhelming number of bugs, the Reddit community has uncovered countless ones – like this tackle from a player off the bench.
A player ran off their bench to tackle me after an interception.. from Madden
Final thoughts
“Madden NFL 21” isn’t a huge improvement on last year’s game. It typically isn’t, so this is almost par for the course. Gameplay feels a bit smoother, the Skill Stick addition to pass rushing is fantastic and The Yard is a fun game mode to play when not grinding on Ultimate Team or building a franchise.
For gamers who don’t play Madden for hours on end each and every year, it’s worth picking up. For those who play it consistently every season, the case is harder to make. At the very least, The Yard is going to capture the attention of casual gamers itching for an arcade-style football game. But franchise mode purists will be disappointed by the lack of improvement.
Overall, I’d give Madden 21 a passing grade, with it hopefully getting better as EA patches it up (hopefully) in the near future. But for anyone seeking a dramatically new feeling, Madden 21 won’t scratch that itch.
