eFootball™

eFootball review: I downloaded it at 2 a.m. because curiosity won — and because PES used to own my Saturdays. This isn’t some polished press release. This is me, sleep-deprived, thumbs sore, telling you what actually happened. The game will ask you to run a tutorial (they say Messi awaits). Do the tutorial. I did — Messi appeared like a welcome-home text from an ex. Smart Assist helps if you hate button gymnastics. But don’t expect the game to carry you through everything. It won’t.

Gameplay hits and misses. Passing feels... familiar in the right moments and slippery in others (like a wet bar of soap). I scored a filthy curler that made me cuss-scream in joy. I also lost a ranked match because the AI decided 45+1 was the best time to forget how defenders work — twice. Player development is straightforward: play matches, earn Progression Points, slot them where you want (or use the Recommended button if you’re lazy like me). The weekly Live Updates are real — rosters change and that matters. Stadium customization is a surprisingly fun little toy. Buy a silly Tifo, watch it fly. Small joys.

The ugly bits: microtransactions and gacha pulls are baked in. Don’t pretend otherwise. If you think this is free and purely skill-based, you’ll be disappointed. Matchmaking can be a coin flip. Servers wobble sometimes (honestly — rage-uninstalled moment alert). Bugs pop up now and then — Konami patched a lot, but there’s always one more weird animation or a player teleporting like they took the bus. Still, compared to the catastrophic 2021 reboot vibes, this mobile build is no longer a dumpster fire. It’s flawed, yes. But it’s playable. And—big caveat—it needs a stable internet connection and about 2.8 GB free space. Also, some regions don’t get loot boxes (Belgium; Brazil under-18 folks) — so read the fine print.

Bottom line: If you loved PES’ tactile passing, eFootball will scratch that itch sometimes, and annoy you other times. I’d recommend it for casual matches, grinding a favorite player, and checking out the weekly updates — but don’t hand over your wallet thinking you’ll instantly dominate. Try the tutorial, mess with Smart Assist, then play one serious match without assists. You’ll know in five minutes if it’s your jam. (Also — shoutout to the stadium Tifos. Worth it.)