After more than a decade of fan clamouring, small-sided football in confined spaces is making a comeback for FIFA 20.futcoin
Playable with either custom players or both male and female pros, this new mode is called Volta – the Portuguese word for ‘return’.
“It’s a landmark year for the franchise,” promises creative director Matt Prior. “We’re taking football back to its roots. People get into football by kicking a ball about in their back yard, or down the park, or on a local pitch, or in the gym. That’s the world we’ll finally see represented in FIFA 20.”
Prior is talking to FourFourTwo alongside Aaron McHardy, a former Sturm Graz prospect who is now executive producer for the biggest sports game around. Ultimate Team questions are off the table, but we do pick the pair’s brains on some topics which have caused debate among the community over the last 12 months. First, though, we need to know more about that five-a-side mode…
Volta allows a level of creativity that we don’t have in 11-versus-11. There, we’re bound by real-world kits, rules and regulations. This is more of a blank canvas. You can create yourself or any custom character, male or female – for the first time ever, we’ll have both sexes on the same pitch at the same time.
“Fundamentally, street football is still about playing and winning, but fashion is also a big part of it. There’s a vanity element. So [to tweak your look] we’re including the most accessible and customisable mode we’ve ever put into FIFA: shirts, tattoos, socks, shoes and more.”
Locations include a park in the UK, or an underpass in Amsterdam, or a Tokyo rooftop. There are many, many environments.
“In FIFA Street, the gameplay was fantastical and not that realistic. Volta is authentic. We researched everything from adidas Tango League tournaments to kickabouts in the park. We started out with our 11-vs-11 gameplay engine, then built in features specific to the small-sided football experience in a way that gives the mode soul. Simplified flicks, skill moves that are easier to trigger, new flair animations for controlling and passing the ball, new ways to interact with walls, and so on.”
“You can still play Volta with licensed players and teams in Kick-Off mode. You can play 3-vs-3, 4-vs-4, 5-vs-5, with or without goalkeepers, and so on. There’s a futsal-style game as well. But we’re regularly asked, ‘Is this FIFA Street?’, and it isn’t – although it’s as large of an undertaking, in that we’re making this whole new world of Volta in addition to all our new main game features.Click to Buy more madden 19 coins
