Ever since PES Team decided to release a Season Update instead of a full title and take an extra year to prepare for a 9th gen release, eager fans and curious newswatchers had wondered what Konami’s crew would do with that time. Well, today we get to see just that.
Click here to compare eFootball PES 2022 demo PS5 vs. PS4 screenshots
Konami have quietly released a surprise demo titled New Football Game Online Performance Test. Clearly an early Unreal Engine build, it barely qualifies as an Alpha, never mind a Beta.
The demo itself features only one mode – a 1v1 online matchmade game and it’s quite rough and very basic. Konami stress in a start-up note that practically every element is subject to change and if you’ve played it, you will certainly hope so.
Basic Content
eFootball PES 2022 or New Football Game features four teams. Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Barcelona. Players can’t adjust their formations and there are very few options available.
We can’t even change camera angle. Players are stuck with a strange-but-interesting zoom cam that moves in and out of play depending on how close the action is to either goal.
There is only one stadium to play in and that’s the generic Konami stadium. While the ground itself looks sharp with an eye-pleasing sense of scale, the crowd models are of low quality with only basic dress and stadium accesories. Some obvious improvements that come with Unreal Engine are its camera-simulation effects. Defocus or bokeh effects look good and add to the televisual look of the presentation.
Pre-match menus, what little there is of them, are worked into a pre-match cinematic of the players warming up. This is a really nice touch that when combined with the improved menu fonts, style and layout gives the demo a 21st Century feel that PES still lacks. Of course, there is still a long way to go until release day.
Early Signs of Unreal Progress
Konami had previously stated that the mechanics of eFootball PES 2022 would be fundamentally similar to eFootball PES 2021. New Football Game defiintely feels like this – as if the old engine’s physics has been applied to the Unreal Engine.
But it must be said that players are weightier. Consequently, the game seems slower and more deliberate. Taking a shot or pass takes that split second longer due to eFootball PES 2022 attempting more realistic animations than eFootball PES 2021. These more comprehensive animations add to that feeling of deliberacy that comes from the weighty players.
The control scheme of the eFootball PES 2022 demo sees some fundamental changes that will force series veterans to remap their muscle memory. For instance, sprint is now R2/RT and Square/X no longer brings a second/third man press.
Instead of pressing, holding X/A will now send your man sprinting at the ball for a usually unsuccessful tackle. As someone who has never used R2/RT to sprint, even on FIFA, this change is hard to get used to. However, L2/LT returns as slow dribble allowing for tricks or guarding the ball. Interestingly, the shot feint move is absent – it will surely be in the final game.
The famous faces of our four playable teams are stunning, beyond what FIFA 21‘s full release is showing us right now. Our snapshots of cutscenes also show new (clearly unpolished) lighting and shadows. Even in their rough state they add much depth to the visuals.
The rippled fabric of shirts and the facial features of the models show complex shadows that give beautiful depth to certain scenes. However, player shadows are far from finished and gave the models a cartoon look when seen at full-length.
We have a fortnight to test eFootball PES 2022 out and TechStomper will bring you a more comprehensive gameplay overview soon. Tell us your thoughts on the demo. Have you already done so? What are your first impressions? If you haven’t, will you be downloading it?
