FIFA 18 marks the long-running soccer franchise’s return to Nintendo systems after an absence since 2014. But the return of EA’s series, now on the NIntendo Switch, isn’t without its drawbacks.
EA has previously disclosed that FIFA 18 wouldn’t be feature-complete when compared to the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game, as well as that it’s not running on EA’s internal Frostbite engine. With the game now out, and headlining one of Switch’s most-packed release weeks yet, we have a clearer picture of what is — and what isn’t — included in the Switch version of FIFA 18, as well as some explanation from previous EA interviews about these features’ respective absences.
With that in mind, read on for a list of what’s missing compared to FIFA’s other versions, which IGN has already reviewed on Xbox One and PS4.
Ahead of FIFA’s showing at the E3-adjacent event EA Play, a FIFA 18 trailer confirmed that The Journey: Hunter Returns, the latest FIFA’s story mode, would not be available in the Switch version. Additionally, the game would not be produced in EA’s Frostbite engine, used for a number of its games including Star Wars Battlefront, Battlefield, and, well, FIFA 18 on other platforms.
The absence of The Journey is, according to EA, due to the absence of Frostbite on the Switch version.
“The Journey is powered by Frostbite. When we looked at the platform and its unique features, we made the choice of custom-building the game,” producer Andrei Lazarescu said during E3.
But Frostbite isn’t being used because EA couldn’t get it to run, according to Lazarescu — the company just felt a unique engine would better suit this iteration.
"It's not that you can't get Frostbite on it. It's just that we felt this custom-built engine would build the better experience,” he said at the time.
As Lazarescu explained at the time, EA looks at the Switch version as a “completely different FIFA experience on a completely different platform.”
FIFA 18 on Switch does have the Ultimate Team mode, however plenty of recent additions to the series' mode like Squad Battles and Weekend League are unavailable. Squad Battles tasks players on other platforms with playing a set of games to earn points and climb leaderboards, while Weekend League offers weekend tournaments with great prizes.
In a more recent interview, Lazarescu explained "If you look at the history of Ultimate Team on the likes of Sony or Microsoft—I think it's a seven year history if I recall correctly. If you throw everything from the get go to a completely new player base, you might not get the desired result."
Essentially, EA did not want to overwhelm new players when others have gotten used to them progressively over the course of years.
Echoing the belief that the Switch version is meant to be a different experience, Lazaercu said EA views the Switch FIFA as a more social iteration.
Looking to go head-to-head with your pals in FIFA 18 online? Unfortunately, you can’t, according to Eurogamer.
While the Switch version supports online play, there’s no matchmaking function to use your Switch’s friend list and match up with a friend.
Of course, while the Switch does have a built-in friends list, it currently lacks an expansive online service, as Nintendo delayed the Switch’s paid online network to 2018.
While FIFA 18 does have a career mode, some tweaks have also been made here as well. Transfer negotiations, as well as release clauses, are not available on the Switch version.
And, as reported by Kotaku UK, some player formations have been removed from the game as well. Whereas EA has explained the absence of modes wholesale, there is no current explanation for the slimming down of these options in content that does exist.
Also reported by Kotaku, the actual environmental detail of the game has been reduced as compared to other versions. It won’t affect the pure gameplay necessarily, but fan chants and lighting are reportedly less complex than on other platforms.
Of course, if you’re looking to see what an actual, full match of FIFA 18 looks like, IGN has you covered:
But fear not, FIFA on Switch may see enhancements in the future. Lazarescu recently said “ think we are going to see more FIFA on Switch in the future.”
As mentioned about, FIFA 18 does offer Ultimate Team, albeit missing some features, a Career mode, online and local multiplayer, Kickoff, and Local Seasons. Ultimate Team will include Icons, allowing players to experience soccer legends with Ultimate Team's Stories mode.
FIFA 18 on Switch also supports a split Joy-Con mode, so players can compete 1-on-1 on a single Switch without extra controllers needed.
For more discussion about FIFA 18 on Switch — and everything else released for Nintendo's console this week, be sure to check out the latest episode of IGN's podcast Nintendo Voice Chat.
Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.
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