UFL Open Beta Full Review - Potential... but a long way to go to compete with EA FC & eFootball!

Welcome to my UFL Open Beta Review!
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Full Review in text format for any country to translate!
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In UFL, you start by choosing your club name, team captain, and formation, which you can adjust in-game. You're then assigned random players.

The menus and presentation are impressive, surpassing eFootball. I’d even say menu navigation is better than EA’s FC 24, although the modes are limited to online 1 vs 1 & local play.

A standout feature is the transfer market, similar to eFootball’s Dream Team, allowing you to select any player and strategically build your team.

The tactical screen is nearly identical to EA FC's. This isn't necessarily bad, as it offers a wide range of tactical options.

By playing ranked matches and completing challenges, you can earn in-game currency to buy players and strengthen your squad. Players also gain experience, which can be used to enhance their skills in attack and defense.

In Ranked matches, you can view your opponent's team sheet, wins, draws, losses, and division. The pre-match cutscene is well-crafted, putting eFootball’s presentation to shame, and the graphics are detailed and sharp.

As this is an Open Beta, bugs are expected. For instance, I encountered a bug that allowed my player to enter the opponent's half before kickoff.

Upon kickoff, the game felt clunky, with noticeable input lag, particularly with ball possession. Initially, I attributed this to having low-level players, but the lag persisted even with a semi-decent squad featuring Ronaldo.

Normal low passes are quick and accurate, but the passing system feels too automated, making it difficult to distinguish between good and bad passers. Control over pass power is limited, affecting only the distance, and through-passes often don't go where intended. Long through-passes are overly fast and abruptly slow down, creating an unrealistic backspin effect.

Crossing felt somewhat manual, and targeting specific players was challenging, though this might be due to the short practice period. Headers felt realistic, unlike in EA FC 24.

Goalkeepers generally perform well but tend to parry the ball too often. I haven't faced any world-class goalkeepers yet and haven't noticed if they come off their line without manual intervention, as there's only the 1vs1 ranked mode. The goalkeeper animations are good, reacting quickly to loose balls and appearing natural rather than superhuman.

Slide tackling was nearly impossible to execute effectively. Defending felt more successful by obstructing opponents, who also seemed to struggle with the input lag. One opponent, who beat me, was sliding recklessly, likely trying to complete a tackling challenge.

Overall player movement when defending is similar to FC24, where players don't move freely or quickly. The defending feels manual, which is a positive, but the secondary player press lacks impact. I prefer eFootball’s secondary player press using R1 while defending.

Shooting looks good but feels too assisted, a common complaint in modern football games. The lack of variety in goals might stem from fear of input lag and reluctance to attempt complex maneuvers.

The game’s assistance can promote toxic play, such as keeping possession in the backline. A mechanic should be introduced to penalize excessive backward passes without progression, such as poor touches or misplaced passes.

Replays are polished and rival EA FC’s, clearly outperforming eFootball's.

Soundwise, the menu music is decent, and the crowd sounds surpass eFootball’s. Commentary is adequate but sometimes delayed and occasionally mismatched with on-field events. For example, incorrect score updates and wrong formation mentions. This might lead to turning off commentary if not improved in the full release.

The sound of the ball hitting the bar, post, and net is oddly loud but can be adjusted or turned off in the settings.

Despite the off-field readiness, the on-pitch gameplay needs work, which is why it’s still in Beta. The game has potential if the input lag is reduced without speeding up the pace and the passing and shooting assistance is toned down. With these improvements, UFL could become a significant competitor to EA FC and eFootball. The foundation, including menus and Dream Team-style player selection, is solid, and the graphics are impressive.

Player face likeness needs improvement, but graphical details are secondary to gameplay. As long as players are recognizable from the default camera view, it’s sufficient.

There’s a lack of player individuality, with all players moving similarly. Addressing this would enhance the gameplay experience.

Connectivity was mostly stable, with only one server disconnection. Online play was generally smooth.

Initially, UFL aimed to offer a FIFA-like experience without scripting, and this vision is evident. With polish, fans of FIFA/EA FC might enjoy UFL, but pure simulation enthusiasts may need to wait or opt for real-life play.