As someone who grew up logging countless hours with the likes of NHL 99, NHL 2000, and the NHL Hitz series, my fundamental understanding of the sport and how it’s a natural transition into a video game format is deep. I’ve taken a break from the genre for a while, but still kept up with the “coolest sport on Earth,” and now I have a chance to experience what a modern triple-A hockey video game plays like.

As soon as I fired up NHL 21, I was greeted with a comprehensive accessibility menu. I had the choice of not only the difficulty and game length but small things like puck size and penalties. Before the player can even get into the main menu, EA Vancouver made it so that no time is wasted in getting the player into the prominent Be a Pro/Season modes. This is much appreciated as the game’s large length, resulting in a long download, will have players eager to get into the action.

I’ve never embraced the Be a Pro mode, so I jumped right into that. Starting out as a hot prospect, I had to wade my way through the minor league and demonstrate my lenience towards either being a team player or having star power in decisions like chat prompts and not racking up penalties. Unfortunately, the latter was a bit tough as whenever I poke-checked trailing a player with the puck, I drew a penalty hurting my team score.

The Be a Pro mode would be ideal for someone that has the patience to build up a superstar, as its cutscenes and unique moments are grandiose. However, I grew up playing as a team, so I switched over to Season play to take the Chicago Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup. This mode massively suited my fancy, as it’s just as easy in NHL 21 to set up my patented one-timers for easy goals as it was back in the day. This rush was a blast, but I couldn’t see myself playing this mode more than once.

Regarding the aesthetic of NHL 21, it was a pleasure to see Alexander Ovechkin get his time to shine as the cover athlete, but EA’s new graphic design template for the 21 series of games is a bit baffling. It’s a clear indication of them trying something new, but it just comes across as them copy/pasting a few photos of the cover athlete and leaving a lot of empty real estate. This is a nitpick, though, as fans don’t buy games based on their covers.

I’m a bit mixed on the annual EA sports series, as the game will substantially drop in price in the coming year, indicating a severe lack of replay value. As such, I would only buy these once every few years, as I’m not missing out much as an offline player. That being said, I had fun reminiscing my hockey-playing past with NHL 21 and if you’ve skipped out on the series for a while, I see no issues with this game being a great re-entry point!

A PS4 review copy of NHL 21 was provided by EA for this review.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

NHL 21

$59.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• High Accessibility
• Stellar Soundtrack
• Great Presentation

Cons

• Confusing UI
• Aggravating AI