You may already come here expecting to find the same (or a similar) FIFA game that you’ll find on PC/Mac/Console. However, this is far from reality. I’m not talking merely about the graphics, even though I wished I did.

I still remember playing FIFA 14 on mobile and being able to enjoy a full-fledged career mode with all its bells and whistles. It might not have been as intricate as its PC and console counterparts, though I’m still trying to come up with aspects that were intrinsically inferior in the mobile version apart from the graphics and, to an extent, the commentary/sound design.

From FIFA 15 onward, the franchise on Android/iOS stopped being anything more than EA’s attempt to capitalize from their money-making Ultimate Team mode, bringing it to this highly lucrative mobile market. I was heavily disappointed with what became of the mobile FIFA ports from there on and stuck with 14 for the next two years.

The current FIFA Soccer barely adds anything new to that formula. It does have some magnificent graphics compared to the rest of the soccer offerings we see on the platform, with its only true competitor being eFootball (formerly PES).

The graphics kinda remind me of 7th-generation FIFA games, which is quite a feat, if you ask me. The grass still looks awfully flat, as always. but players’ faces are surprisingly well-achieved (just look at Neymar’s face in the picture above!) I also think the crowd looks slightly better in this last World Cup update.

The animations are probably the best I’ve seen on any mobile soccer simulator to date. Make no mistake about it; EA still kills it in the physics and animation department, as this port shows, even amid its technical limitations.

In terms of pitch-level gameplay, despite the apparent hurdles inherent in touchscreen controls, FIFA Soccer plays very intuitively, especially if you try it on a larger screen (5.5” or above). The button layout may take some getting used to, but you should get the gist after two or three matches. I also have to praise the through passes and chip shots this time around. Netting a goal in this game feels very satisfying, which is a huge plus.

I’m not joking. I haven’t opened the game in barely a month and was already forced to spend almost five full minutes opening those stupid welcoming packs! (I might be exaggerating, but very close to five minutes, in my estimation.) Ideally, I’m supposed to be happy after such a display of generosity on the part of EA, but I think I’d rather spend my time playing actual soccer matches; thank you very much!

And don’t get me started on the first playthroughs! If you already endured all those irritating starting tutorials, you barely made it. Nevertheless, no game should force me to bear these irritating long-as-heck tutorials. They pose a considerable obstacle to my enjoyment and immersion. If your mechanics and features are so intricate that they require a bachelor’s degree-tier manual to learn them, you probably want to dumb them down a bit. Just a thought.

This is not a new phenomenon in the franchise, for EA Sports has gone down this virtually unbreakable habit for a very long time. We may have to wait a significant length of time until they finally learn how this obsessive hand-holding is not better than having us figure things out on our own or look for those tutorials ourselves (as it has been since the beginning).

FIFA Soccer has improved a lot in its last World Cup update, but the people at EA still have a lot to do if they want me not to yearn for FIFA 14 over and over. They need to make room for people who crave those single-player aspects that made that latter game so great while not necessarily getting rid of the Ultimate Team features they seemingly love so much. 

In fact, I don’t care about paying real-life money as long as I get to enjoy a moderately functional career mode! Until then, FIFA Soccer won’t be anything more than a “good” game. You can definitely give it a shot, but please, manage your expectations first!

You can leave your impressions about FIFA Soccer in the commentary box below!