Madden 21 The Yard is a new mode heading to the franchise this year. The new feature was just announced today, and it seems that Electronic Arts has big plans for the series with a new game mode. So just what the heck is it? Madden 21 The Yard seems to be a fusion of the more realistic gameplay style the series is known for, but while also infusing over-the-top arcadey elements.
Players will get to craft their own superstar player, and take part in their own self-contained career. The mode is built around 6-on-6 football games with a much more NFL Street feel to them. Gamers can expect complex and wild animations, more absurd trick plays, and so much more in this new mode. Expect to see plenty of double-passing, insane lobs, and hard tackles. Basically, this is what would happen if NFL Blitz was remade today.
There will also be various gameplay options within as well. You can take on the CPU in offline play or co-op locally. Players will also be able to hop online and take part in games with other players too.
The Yard is basically EA’s attempt to craft something much more unique which offered players something more than Franchise or UT modes could.
The attempts to innovate on the aging sports game formula have been mixed over the years. Many hardcore players of Madden and other EA titles lament the loss of depth with the total domination of Ultimate Team and similar modes, which for some have become havens for gambling mechanics. Players universally despise the iterative development that has seen sports video games trapped in very static gameplay styles. Perhaps Madden 21 The Yard is something of a sign that times are changing.
FIFA added the new ‘VOLTA’ mode recently, which was very similar to this new addition as well. The NHL franchise added the ‘World of CHEL’ in NHL 19, which took some of the pressure off of players to perform at a high-pressure level with more relaxed playstyles.
A version of the game mode has already been deployed to the Madden 21 mobile app. Those who don’t want to bother with that can take part in the new mode when the game launches in full on August 28.
