Football Manager 2021

Developer Sports Interactive continues its long-standing yearly tradition of delivering the very best in football management simulation with Football Manager 2021. This entry represents a return to form in many ways, including improved communication methods and an entirely revamped presentation.

Not many games do what Football Manager 2021 does, that’s for sure. While some might consider the prospect of managing a sports team in a video game a tad uninteresting, the Football Manager formula has proved to be as engaging as it is addictive, delivering the ultimate timewaster that’s great to play even if you know next to nothing about football.

How it Plays

The core idea behind Football Manager 2021 is pretty self-explanatory: as the manager of a rising football team, it will be up to you to take your team to the top of the charts in your division. How you get there is the interesting part, since this game, contrary to the more action-oriented titles like FIFA 21, focus more on the managerial side rather than actually playing some matches.

There’s no denying that the entire Football Manager series is a part of a niche genre. Players who enjoy complex tycoon games like Airline Tycoon or the managerial aspects of Cities Skyline will fill right at home with Football Manager 2021’s charts and diagrams.

At times, the game feels like a tabletop affair: every character has a unique set of skills and stats that the player will have to track over the season. Even if you don’t understand too much about football, the game does an outstanding job of communicating how everything works to the player – and that’s partially thanks to its clear and uncluttered UI.

Improvements and Updates

Not being a high-budget game like the FIFA series, there are some limitations when it comes to what the developers of Football Manager 2021 can do with licensing. Some teams had to be renamed to avoid any instances of copyright infringement, and most player names are made up.

Still, the game packs an impressive roster that includes 117 leagues from over 52 countries. As is usually the case with the series, most of the teams are focused on European territories.

The new UI seems to be partially inspired by Football Manager Touch; now, the game plays much more smoothly if you’re using a controller, leaving behind the need of playing with a keyboard and mouse only.

Matches have also been revamped with improved player AI and much nicer visuals. If there’s one area that still needs a bit more work done that would be the interviews. These segments still feel too repetitive for their own good, and sometimes can appear to be in the game just to pad it out a bit.

For new players, some of the graphs and stats that are all over Football Manager 2021 might look a bit daunting, but this is a great place to start if you’re looking to get into the series.

Pros

• Excellent UI
• In-depth status tracker for every stat
• Addictive gameplay

Cons

• Repetitive interviews
• Could use some more licensed teams and players