Not long ago this month, Madden NFL 21 revealed its soundtrack for the first time. It had revealed precious little else beforehand, except where graphics were concerned. While players had known for some time that in-game players would dance upon scoring a touchdown, they didn’t know what else was changing from previous games.
The release of Madden NFL 21 has finally come to pass, and the resulting response has been very different on the critical and player end of things. The game consists of the modes and gameplay that players have come to expect. It’s a football simulator that lets players use pre-existing teams or build their own using real-life NFL licensed teams and players. Players control one specific person when running or passing with the ball or when trying to capture it, and can manage their team in different ways.
There was a question for a while as to whether or not Madden NFL 21 would even come out on time, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Now that it has finally landed, it’s time for a review roundup to see what critics of the game had to say. For a series that has been out for a while, a good deal of formulaic lethargy has unsurprisingly set in, and that is one of the sticking points for a lot of critics.
Another major point for most reviews centers around the new mode introduced in Madden NFL 21: the Yard. The mode was created to mimic an arcade-style football simulator, something simpler than what modern games have become. The mode came under a lot of scrutiny since it was the newest thing Madden 21 brought to the table, and it mostly walked away positive, but according to some critics, there could stand to be a lot more customization.
Far less forgiven was the mode that players had worried about for a while: Franchise Mode. Despite being a fan favorite, Franchise Mode has been neglected in Madden games for a long time, with bare-bones functionality. While EA responded to fan concerns about Franchise Mode, it seems that the mode has not received much love. Critics were quick to point out that the state of Franchise wasn’t great, and was decidedly less polished than the rest of the game overall.
Forbes (Brian Mazique) – 6.25/10
“While the gameplay is in as good of a spot as it’s been for a while, Madden 21 is dragged down but neglected features, stagnant and/or underdeveloped concepts. Hopefully, this inconsistent effort is a product of the development team packing tons into the next-gen version. If not, all things considered, from a reception standpoint, this could be one of the worst years in franchise history.“
IGN (David Jagneaux) – 6/10
“Madden NFL 21 is a great example of why competition breeding innovation is a good thing. Without a comparable NFL experience on the market, EA has allowed its marquee sports franchise to fall behind in almost every significant way. In a world where its contemporary sports games continually evolve with innovative new game modes like NBA 2K20’s Neighborhood, deep franchise options like MyCareer, MyTeam, and MyLeague in the NBA 2K series, or even the cinematic story mode from EA’s own Fight Night Champion — a boxing game from 2011 — Madden’s lack of innovation has reached a tipping point. There is no excuse for Madden’s stagnation. I appreciate the tweaks to the core gameplay and the chaotic novelty of The Yard, but that isn’t enough to make me want to sing its praises.“
GamesRadar+ (Mark Delaney) – 3/5
“This year’s game features six distinct modes spanning Exhibition, Franchise, Face of the Franchise, Superstar KO, Ultimate Team, and The Yard, but the breadth of a half-dozen game modes veils a lack of improvements in half of them. Last year, I said Madden was in a rebuilding year, showing promise but not a contender quite yet. With Madden NFL 21, like the perennially doomed Browns, Lions, and Jets, forever seeking consistency in their staffs and stars, it feels like the Madden team needs to hit reset once more.“
ScreenRant (Buck Rivers) – 4/5
“Still, Madden 21 doesn’t do much to stand out from past games. Altering a formula that works has proven to cause problems in the past, though, and what’s present is a solid iteration. Face Of The Franchise is a good idea on paper, but has never been executed well. Ultimate Team is fun for the most part, but feels like a half-baked method of getting players to cough up more cash. The only things that work to the fullest in Madden 21 are the tweaks that make the simple game of football feel more realistic, and the addition of The Yard, which lets players reminisce on the old days of games like NFL Street.“
USGamer (Kat Bailey) – 3/5
“Last year I declined to review Madden 20 because I felt like I was spinning my wheels complaining about Franchise and weird glitches, and much the same can be said about Madden 21. With a new generation will come a fresh start and hopefully a new outlook on single-player. But if Madden 21 shows anything, it’s that there’s still plenty of work to be done.“
These may not be the final words on Madden NFL 21 of course. These days, games can change significantly after launch, so there is a real chance the game might be improved. EA has said that big changes for Franchise mode are coming, but the biggest will probably be saved for Madden 22. Considering how fed up many fans are with the state of the franchise already, this response likely didn’t make them any happier.
Madden NFL 21 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions planned.
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