When one thinks of EA hyper realistic sports sims come to mind. It all started with the Madden NFL series. Those American football games put EA right on the map. Before Madden sports titles are usually arcade like. They were a game changer to many sports fans. EA later created the FIFA series for fans of soccer which like Madden NFL innovated simulation elements to the game. Not too long ago EA recently lost the license to FIFA so they rebrand the series as “FC *insert year*. Despite the name change it is the same old FIFA soccer fans know and love. This year’s edition of FC got a major revamp on Switch. Is it worth your time or is it a missed goalie kick?
One thing you will notice with this years edition is the graphics look better than the previous year’s on paper but once you see it on motion it looks so last gen. Its the unfortunately fact that the Switch is so underpowered compared to PlayStation and Xbox consoles. EA had to make a lot of cut backs to have this run as smooth as possible on Switch hardware like the players faces, the crowds, and the field. The game runs on 30 fps most of the time but there has been moments the frame rate becomes so choppy especially during the close ups with the players. Maybe that is a sign the Switch is near its end and Nintendo should consider putting out more powerful hardware for these EA sports titles?
On handheld mode it is always in 30 fps. It feels sluggish. It feels like there is a slight delay between your input and the players reacting. The way the players feel to control shooting, passing, defending. On docked mode it plays a lot better although the frame rate is still in 30 fps and the visuals still don’t look as good as the other versions of the game elsewhere. The input delay is barely noticeable. You can easily kick the ball around and score some points without feeling like you have an anchor tied to your leg. I don’t know why the game plays better in docked mode but not in handheld mode. It is really a shame because with some tweaking this could have been a great handheld soccer game.
So how is the gameplay? Well. It’s FIFA. It’s realistic soccer. Rules of the game doesn’t ever change. However in Rush mode you can play as the Youth Academy characters for the first time in this franchise. Another big change is now there is a women’s career mode. So if you love seeing the ladies kick balls around this will be totally for you.
The Rush game mode to me is the best new addition to the FIFA/FC franchise. It’s a casual 5v5 mode which brings the sort of levity that Ultimate Team has needed for years. I do recommend playing with some friends instead of online, because watching xXMADSKILLZXx do random skill moves only to lose the ball over and over again is frustrating in the way only FIFA can be. I’d also recommend turning off the commentary – if you figure out how to do it – because you can only hear, “that was as cold as the bathroom floor” so many times before you want to turn the Switch off and throw your controller, console, or Lite. The commentary to me was that obnoxious. It literally made me go to my medicine cabinet and take some aspirin.
Like all EA sports games there is career mode were you take on a role of a manager of the team recruiting or cutting players. Create strategies for each player. You can even now check fake social media pages for feedback from fans of your team.
There are some things about the career mode I wasn’t too found of. The clunky menus slow down even the simplest tasks. Whether it’s searching for players or navigating tactics, the interface feels very cumbersome. The expanded tactical roles, while great in theory, don’t translate into the impactful gameplay changes you’d expect, especially when your defenders feel a step behind the action. For a mode that should pride itself on its immersive simulation, these moments of inconsistency jar you back to reality. EA has clearly tried to modernize Career Mode with new features, but these efforts are undermined by how outdated and unintuitive the rest of the experience feels.
I honestly have never touched a FIFA game in a long time but from what I have experience with FC 25 it is very fun as long as you play in Rush mode. I have never cared much for the simulation aspects of these games. I never wanted to be a coach or manager. I just want to pick my team and go crazy shooting some goals. If you are like me and casually play sports games the Rush mode is a the perfect way to get someone to play with you.
Like I mentioned earlier you are really better off playing couch multiplayer because finding someone to play online with on the Switch version is going to be a bit tricky. A lot of people who play the EA Sports titles don’t play these games on Nintendo Switch consoles and if you do the online experience will not be pleasant. One time I was playing against a random person online with my Switch Lite and I kept getting my signal knocked off.
So if you are craving for a realistic soccer sim for Switch look no further than EA Sports FC 25. It may not look nearly as pretty as the other versions but the game is still there and that is what counts. If you don’t mind the frame rate jittering you definitely will get some enjoyment out of this. Just don’t leave on the commentary, play in handheld mode, or play online. You have been warned.
EA Sports FC 25 is now available for Nintendo Switch for $49.99 USD.
*A code was given for the purpose of this review.
*This review is specific to the Nintendo Switch version of the game.
David Medina is a hardcore gamer and Japanese import collector owning dozens of systems and games from Famicom to Nintendo Switch. He has an active YouTube channel called "The Karnov Jr Show" and posts retro gaming content there weekly showing off collections, random store tours, and gameplay clips.