There are flailing limbs, strange physics, and odd-looking players aplenty.
Konami’s eFootball 2022 – the free-to-play soccer sim formerly known as Pro Evolution Soccer, or PES for short – is now available for download on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. However, it has not received a warm welcome from players.
eFootball 2022 hasn’t even been out 24 hours, but it’s already been panned online due to the game’s horrendous glitches, bizarre physics, and truly terrifying-looking player likenesses.
Ansu Fati of Barcelona runs like Naruto.
Thanks for kill my fav game @play_eFootball #efootball2022 here is a Video with Ansu Fati running like naruto pic.twitter.com/JQ2KRr2RwC
— Ricardo Bassricky (@BassRicky_) September 30, 2021
Players are sliding around as if by magic in this scene.
You play Fifa!? Ugh, doesn't that have sliding?! Konami: “hold my beer“! Hahahaha!!! First game I played. This is without exaggeration one of the worst attemts at a game of any genre on any gen, ever! My my my.. #PS5Share, #eFootball2022 pic.twitter.com/j7wrCwhnfg
— 𝕲𝖆𝖑𝖋𝖆𝖓𝖔 10 🛸⚽ (@Galfano_No_10) September 30, 2021
And here’s Lionel Messi’s in-game likeness, who also happens to be the cover star of eFootball 2022.
EA without scanning Messi vs Konami after scanning Messi#FIFA22 #eFootball2022 pic.twitter.com/CroI2UCnZe
— Rohit Upadhyay (@yoyorohit07) September 30, 2021
But Twitter isn’t the only sign that eFootball 2022 isn’t wowing football fans. According to Steam250, the game has an ‘Overwhelming Negative’ review score on Steam after receiving 4,368 reviews at the time of writing, making it the worst-rated video game in Steam history.
eFootball 2022 is already the lowest rated game on Steam, with only 8% of people giving it a positive review. #eFootball2022 pic.twitter.com/K0RozvEsDD
— Broma18 (@Broma018) September 30, 2021
Analysis: there’s still time to make things right
Konami can still turn things around with eFootball 2022, just as Arsenal did with their dismal start to the 21/22 Premier League season. The publisher has already stated that the game’s initial release will essentially serve as a demo, with more updates and changes planned in the near future as the game evolves. However, given the team’s extra year of development time, you have to wonder how the game was released in such a state. When compared to EA’s FIFA 22, which has received generally positive reviews (microtransactions notwithstanding), it appears that Konami’s soccer sim is already facing an uphill battle.
This initial update will include new additions to the game’s current roster of nine clubs – Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Corinthians, Flamengo, Juventus, Manchester United, Sao Paulo, and River Plate – as well as new features such as ‘Creative Team’ mode, which the publisher claims will allow you to “build your own dream team.”
