When a new FIFA game is announced, there are always promises of changes and innovations. Sometimes those are delivered and are remarkable, and some are lackluster and barely noticeable. “The Journey” is a new addition to FIFA that doesn’t do much to affect the gameplay you’ve come to know and love in FIFA, but introduces the opportunity to take control of the career and actions of an individual football player from being hired and playing in a premier team to reaching the fame and renown only some footballers come to experience.
What is the Journey?
The Journey is the next natural step in the progress of Ultimate Team/Career modes to something completely different. This new game mode plays as a campaign or other similar single player story mode would play in other titles. It’s really exciting because this is one of the fresher ideas that EA has brought on board in many years. This is where the implementation of the Frost engine really starts to make the most sense, the developers are interested in making FIFA more than just a Football game.
Often times when one is playing through the career mode in FIFA or something like Football Manager the individual achievements of single players and the events that may be unfolding beneath the scenes are not something the player is privy to. For instance, you don’t see the reception of a player in the locker room after a poor choice on the pitch. You don’t get to see or alter the conversations of players or have much of an effect on their interactions. That all changes with the new game mode “The Journey” in FIFA.
Introducing Alex Hunter
You play through “The Journey” mode as the character Alex Hunter. Essentially a rags to riches story where Alex Hunter and his long-time friends have dreams of joining a Premier league team. EA collaborated with studios like Bioware to implement the player choice sequences, so expect to see scenes and choices similar to those used in Mass Effect.
This addition to the game brings the opportunity of side splitting cut scenes. Such as when you choose to support your “Friend” by saying “Score one for me” and are rewarded by being ignored by said friend as they rise and exclaim “Time to make my mark” and exit the locker room.
You decide…
Throughout “The Journey” the player choices will directly affect how things play out on the pitch, and vice versa. Depending on how the player performs during games, things can go certain ways off the pitch concerning friends, family and business. This inevitably leads to new locations off the pitch where a good chunk of this new mode will take place. Scenes take place in many different places including the Locker room, your apartment, clubhouses and even more.
If you’re interested in more than you see just on the surface of FIFA, The Journey mode is going to be fun for you to play through. Football Manager Simulation fans will enjoy the next level of manager a Football player outside the pitch. Chance are if you enjoy Career mode, this is also going to be right up your alley.
