FIFA is not only similar to football seasons because it is released every year anew, but also because there are times that fans will remember for a long time, and years they would rather like to forget. These can be traced to particular moments, as when FIFA received innovations like The Journey and the revolutionary Ultimate Team modes or women's teams. Other years went by pretty unnoticed, like when the World Cup mode was introduced in FIFA 18. While the current FIFA 19, was one of the best-selling video games of the year, many players have been accumulating frustration since its release in autumn 2018 - both e-athletes and casual gamers have complained about the gameplay. Manufacturer Electronic Arts has tried to improve the game with online updates several times, with moderate success.

A rooftop match on top of a building in Tokyo. Image: Electronic Arts

Back to the roots

FIFA 20, which was unveiled on Saturday evening, is now courting fans with gameplay adjustments, but above all with new gameplay options. Football is brought back to its roots by attempting to capture the other side of the sport - very few people would ever play in front of 50.000 stadium visitors themselves.

According to the developers, street and indoor football matches on small fields will have a big focus, with pitches located in Amsterdam, London and Tokyo. For example, games in Tokyo are played on a rooftop, in London in a cage - an indoor court in Berlin has also been confirmed. The small fields are played three-on-three, four-on-four or five-on-five, with or without a goalkeeper. Volta Football is EA's name for the entire mode, which simulates the indoor soccer variant Futsal in addition to street soccer.

For some FIFA players, the idea of the mini-fields will evoke memories, as it is not fundamentally new. Those who already went on the virtual goal hunt in the nineties, still know the legendary indoor modes of FIFA, which sadly never made a reappearance after titles like FIFA 97, or FIFA 98. Younger players may remember the beginning of The Journey in FIFA 18, which featured a short three-on-three game in a favela backyard setting. Most obvious, however, is the comparison with FIFA Street, a FIFA offshoot about street football, of which four series were released between 2005 and 2012.

Amsterdam, London, Tokyo and Berlin are only some of the locations known so far. Image: Electronic Arts

You can either choose to rock the small fields with real football professionals, but also with homemade players, men and women alike. Players can be visually individualized, with new jerseys, socks, shoes and tattoos. There won't be any microtransactions, with optional accessories also not meant to influence the gameplay.

Whether the introduction of the new Volta mode will make the loss of the story mode of FIFA 19 any better, remains to be seen. The game will be released on September 27, while customers of EA Origin Access Premier can play the full version starting September 19. The game will be available for Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.