Madden NFL 21 has arrived, and with it comes a showstopping new mode, evolutions to favorite modes, gameplay advancements, and more. Each new Madden NFL entry attempts to outdo the game before, but usually, the developers choose just a few key areas to upgrade the game. Because a new Madden comes out every 12 months, it’s not easy to completely change the game for massive enhancements. In the case of Madden NFL 21, a genuinely large gameplay overhaul was one of the big focuses, as was the brand new The Yard game mode. Meanwhile, Face of The Franchise received a drastic change while modes like Franchise and MUT, often considered the two pillars of the game, received few upgrades this time around.
Madden NFL 21 feels like previous Madden games, but for the most part much better. The game is smoother, more responsive, and smarter. The game has a new and better Skill Stick that is used while running with the football. Juking in Madden feels better than ever, with players able to use the right stick to truly be creative when carrying the football. A quick snap to the left will cause the player to harshly cut to the side while a slower and smoother flick will result in a smoother and slower dead-leg juke. Spin moves can also be done with the stick, as can trucking, making the Skill Stick itself a playground for jaw-dropping moves.
On the defensive side, the stick is now used for pass rush mechanics. Previously, rushing the passer with players like TJ Watt or Von Miller may not have been overly fun, but Madden NFL 21 allows the stick to be used to bull rush, swim, and speed rush around the lineman and into the quarterback’s lap. Tackling has also been updated to compensate for how elusive runners can be with the ball. Players can use the new Breakdown Tackle technique to line-up the offensive player with a low-risk tackle in the open field.
Offensive players are now smarter than ever as well. In the past, an offensive player may be rushing towards the endzone on a crucial 4th and goal and when getting tackled around the 1-yard line they simply flop to the ground. In Madden NFL 21, players will wisely reach for first downs, touchdowns, and fall forward in a natural way when reaching forward for crucial plays. Gang tackling is more key than ever to stop players from falling forward and into the endzone. Meanwhile, AI/CPU-controller QBs will be smart and adjust to repetitive defensive plays, making the simulator more strategic than ever. X-factors & superstar abilities also return, but new ones have been added for all game modes (from MUT to The Yard to Franchise).
All of the gameplay changes make Madden more fun than ever, and more realistic. Shaking a defender in the open field and darting to the endzone, while being tackled at the 3-yard line only to stretch for the touchdown, is extremely satisfying.
When playing in the open field, both on defense and offense, Madden is better than ever. However, when running through the tackles the game falls short. Because the players on the line now have new movements to shed a blocker, they seem to gravitate to the runner whenever he is running through a gap smaller than a few feet wide. Even when simulating the experience, it seems like running backs across the board just don’t pick up many yards.
The core two modes of Madden over the past few years have been Franchise Mode and Madden Ultimate Team (MUT). For fans of those modes, Madden NFL 21 may be a bit disappointing. EA has already promised that Madden 22 is when Franchise Mode will get its long-awaited upgrade, but with Madden NFL 21 it is mostly more of the same.
Franchise Mode can still be genuinely fun, as it is where Madden is at its best as a pure simulator. This version saw small improvements to tuning, new and better Commissioner Tools, and better trade logic, but other than that, it is last year’s Franchise Mode, just cleaned up a bit. Playing as a coach still gives tons of fun options like controlling free agency, trading for the future, making tough decisions on cut day, and helping the team improve.
MUT is the other massive mode in Madden, but again the Madden NFL 21 version hasn’t seen many changes. One could argue, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but at the same time, someone who was just enjoying Madden NFL 20‘s MUT experience may feel overwhelmed and bored with the idea of starting over the entire card/team-building experience from scratch. Ability Caps are added to this game, which add a new layer to creating a team, and of course, the challenges are all designed differently, but the same formula of finishing challenges for cards and coins, opening packs, finishing decks, selling and buying cards, and playing online to compete is still here. For some, that may not be an issue at all, as MUT is in some ways the best version of “fantasy football” that can be experienced.
Face of the Franchise is back in Madden NFL 21, and it attempts to tell the players’ own story throughout an entire football career. Named Rise to Fame, Face of the Franchise allows players to create a QB, WR, or RB and play in games from high school to college to the NFL, and eventually make their way to the Hall of Fame. The idea is nice, but the execution is not.
Face of the Franchise is sloppy, awkward, and not fun. Last year’s Face of the Franchise was a controlled experience from high school up through the first year in the NFL, and after that players were able to take full control in a standard Franchise Mode experience. This time, the player is never really in control.
When playing high school or college games, Face of the Franchise feels empty and awkward, and the cutscenes are generally pretty poor. The NFL experience is so finely tuned in Madden that it is genuinely jarring to see how “off” a high school game is. Players basically have control of small moments in games or single football matches, but how they perform in that game means nothing to the story. It is possible (and it happened for Game Rant) to score over 70 points in a game with 10 touchdown passes and no interceptions, only to be benched the next game.
At one point the story of the season was all about division rivalries. The idea is fine, but the only games in our season were two matches against the Ravens. The next season was a storyline all about how the rivalry became even more dramatic, so again the entire season was two games against the Ravens, followed by a third playoff game against the Ravens. Things quickly became a repetitive experience that lacked any player agency. Face of the Franchise may be fun for a younger player who truly loves the idea of climbing up to the NFL and playing in big pre-determined football games, but for the Madden player that has enjoyed the control that comes with Franchise mode, it just feels off.
If Face of the Franchise is the low point of Madden NFL 21, the brand new The Yard is its apex. The Yard is the best thing to happen in Madden in years. As soon as players boot up Madden they are asked to create a player (Avatar) for The Yard. The player creator is better than anything Madden has had in the past, and making someone who looks relatively close to the person making the Avatar is entirely possible. Once the Avatar is made, players can deck them out with cool gear.
The Yard gameplay is fresh and fun, and in short, it is backyard football. Instead of the simulation experience of standard Madden, The Yard breaks all the rules, in the best way possible. The football field is only 80 yards, instead of 100. The game is 6 on 6, instead of 11 on 11. And the playbook is right out of the imagination of the 13-year old on the playground.
Players can double pass, triple-pass, quadruple pass the ball behind the line of scrimmage. Laterals keep the plays alive. Stylish jukes and showboating one-handed catches are aplenty. While the movement and core physics of the game are pretty much the same as standard Madden (this isn’t NFL Blitz or NFL Street), the double passes and stylish moves make it feel entirely different, and thus totally new strategies are required in The Yard.
The Avatar is the player that sticks around no matter the match, with the new gear being able to be unlocked for fresh looks. The Prototypes are where the statistical change and progression comes in. Prototypes are used for different styles of play on the field. For example, the Lamar Jackson prototype is a scrambling QB, and players can use that prototype to demoralize defenders with speed and quick moves. The more the Lamar Jackson prototype is used, the higher it will level up, and the better it will be. After a few matches with Jackson, players can totally shift gears and select the Michael Thomas prototype, and become a route-running monster of a wide receiver. The prototypes keep the game feeling unique. Players can also line up wherever they’d like, so it’s possible to use the Jamal Adams (safety in the NFL) prototype as a slot wide receiver for example. The strategies are endless, and the fun is as well.
The game looks nice, and the Madden NFL 21 soundtrack is catchy. Perhaps the biggest issue with the performance of Madden is just how slow it is in menus, especially MUT. There are also a few problems with aspects of the game not feeling connected. While The Yard has the best player creator in Madden history, the Creation Center has almost nonexistent options. In The Yard, players can adjust the jaw size, the eye distance, and the chunkiness of the cheeks of the Avatar, but in the Creation Center there are just a few base faces to choose from for each skin tone. It’s odd that the team of The Yard was able to make such a cool experience, but other modes didn’t receive the same level of detail.
Madden NFL 21 is an imperfect game, with some modes like Franchise and MUT lacking any meaningful upgrades. Fans of those modes will still have fun, but they will have to wait for next year’s Madden to see where the major evolutions take place. Meanwhile, Face of the Franchise is awkward from a story perspective and lacks player agency. But the core gameplay experience feels better than ever, with things like the new Skill Stick controls allowing for creatively on the field. Lastly, The Yard is so good it could be its own stand-alone game.
Madden NFL 21 releases on August 28, 2020 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One with future releases planned for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided an Xbox One code for this review.