NHL 21 review: Almost the Triple Deke of hockey games

How does EA’s NHL 21 and its improvements stack up as we close out the Xbox One / PS4 generation and enter the Xbox Series X and PS5?

Title: NHL 21
Developer: EA Vancouver
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (reviewed on), Xbox One
Release Date: October 16, 2020

NHL 21 released at an interesting time. Right after free agency kicked off, not long after the NHL Draft, and with a tentative start date of December 1, 2020, for the next NHL season. I say it’s in an interesting spot because while the game features revamped modes and updated gameplay features, there are roster inconsistencies that arise from the timing of this release.

Does that ruin the experience of NHL 21? No, absolutely not. But as a player who hasn’t played a game in this series since the early 2010s, things are much different (I thank the Mighty Ducks films and the Florida Panthers 1996 Stanley Cup appearance for my hockey fandom). Pile on top of that the fact that I only started to recently get back into hockey hardcore in the latest playoffs. This means that I have to relearn players and their teams, and the fact that the latest NHL Draft isn’t accurately reflected in the team’s rosters makes it much more difficult to sort everything out.

And that’s where I’ll begin. There’s a lot to NHL 21. Lots of modes. Lots of leagues. Lots of everything. It’s a lot to wrap your head around as a newcomer to the series, and it’s honestly a bit of a turnoff after you complete a robust training mode that teaches you the ins and outs of controlling your player and the gameplay of NHL 21.

The gameplay is one of the stars of this year’s entry. Having not played a hockey game in close to a decade, it was an overwhelming feeling at first. The action feels fast and the AI is quicker to make a move on the puck than I ever remember. Players also have a lot of options with the stick on both sides of the puck. On defense you have an array of body checks, poke checks, stick lifts and slides to block shots and stop an offensive assault. With the puck, you can pull off insane dekes and aim your shots with precision with a combination of right stick movements and button presses.

All of the highlights of NHL 21 talk about the inclusion of superstar moves like “The Michigan” and “The Kucherov.” Honestly, I’m having a hard enough time pulling off basic dekes, as it feels like my skaters stop skating when trying to move the puck from side to side. Even some of the more advanced moves in training took me a while. But I know they’re doable because human opponents only were making me look stupid with some of these moves.

NHL 21 also passes the eye and ear test. This is a really nice looking game, with animations and broadcast-quality right out of an actual NHL game. Likewise, it sounds like a real hockey game. And the soundtrack also slaps (did I use that right? I’m a millennial.). Menus are flashy and don’t feature as much lag as this year’s Madden 21. One feature I wish other sports games would adopt is the ability to pin three modes or menu options to the very top main menu. I pinned Franchise Mode, Be a Pro Career and Rosters to mine, since those are usually what I go into the most.

Speaking of game modes, Franchise mode is one of the most robust in any sports game I’ve played. I keep using the word “overwhelming” and that’s because as someone that has to become re-accustomed to the sport and the NHL game franchise, there’s a lot that is just expected for the player to know. I didn’t know the difference between all of the leagues in Franchise mode. I didn’t know the difference between 1-way and 2-way contracts. And even though there are tools like “Best Line” to help you create the best lines available from your roster, sometimes players will just go missing when I do that, only to later find them on my minor league team. Why, after a free agency, draft and resigning some of my best players (including my starting Goalie and best LW) are starting on my AHL team I have no idea. I signed Alex Ovechkin in free agency and the best line for him was apparently in the minors.

So you’ll have an immense learning curve with Franchise mode terminology and how things operate if you are a newcomer like me. But the learning curve is worth it. This Franchise mode is deep, and you have a ton of options for how you want it to operate. Owner options include upgrading and repairing your arena, all while managing budgets for staff, arena and marketing and trying to meet owner goals. There are also options for whether you want players’ overall ratings and attributes to appear to you, or whether you want to unlock them via scouting. You can even set how strong you want draft classes to be and how often strong prospects are created.

The ability to scout other NHL players’ abilities and personalities to see how they fit into your team, your lines and with your coach is genius, and it has an actual effect on ratings and gameplay. In Franchise you’ll have to craft the perfect lines to give you Overall boosts, have conversations with players and staff about performance and team building, and if you make promises you don’t keep, they’re not going to be happy.

None of this is new this year; what is new is the Trade Deadline. The Trade Deadline is now its own sort of in-Franchise game where you enter a new screen where all players on the trade block are located. From here, you set whether you’re buying or selling or standing pat. You set what you’re looking to trade, find trade, put offers together for other teams’ assets and more. I didn’t expect a trade deadline to be a highlight of a Franchise Mode, but NHL 21 found a way to make that day special and memorable.

One thing that needs to be updated soon is the NHL Draft being accurately reflected. Currently, the latest draft pool is the first draft class in Franchise mode’s first season. Again, one of those quirks due to the timing of the release and the season schedule changing due to a global pandemic.

As much as I love Franchise mode, Be a Pro Career Mode is more hot and cold for me. I appreciate the depth of it, as you have to manage how your teammates, management and public views you while you build your brand. You play a four-game set to build your draft stock, answering questions that affect the things I just mentioned, and ultimately get drafted. Then you’ll manage your career on and off the ice. It’s not all practice and in-game performance to raise your skills and overall. You’re also deciding when to donate to charities and demand trades. It’s a full career as you work your way towards the Stanley Cup.

I’ve put about 10 hours into it, but even in that time, I see how repetitive some of the options can get. Sometimes the prompts it gives me in-game or just after the game from the coach doesn’t take the in-game results into account. But that’s the problem when you have a set list of generic questions that the game tries to plug into situations. It doesn’t always work and ruins the illusion. Still, Be A Pro mode is a nice escape from when I don’t feel like advancing my franchise.

NHL 21 wouldn’t be an EA game without an ultimate team mode, and that’s why HUT Rush is in there. Unlike Madden Ultimate Team, I actually enjoyed the time I spent in HUT Rush. Maybe it’s because while I was getting stomped by players online, I felt like I was still advancing in progress. HUT Rush uses a style scoring system that rewards points based on things you do in-game. Pass, pass, deke shoot will reward you with more points than just a plain ol’ shot on the goal. There are some server issues with lag, but nothing that ruined the experience. I’m not an ultimate team player, so this mode isn’t really for me, but if that’s what you play for, you should be happy with this year’s iteration.

Then there’s World of Chel, where you take a created player into online seasons and challenges to compete against other players while unlocking customizations and rewards. I did a bit of the Halloween event and earned some pirate-themed gear. There are different options for play with ones, threes and clubs. I think it’s fun as an alternative play mode, as you abandon the simulation-style gameplay and get more into the craziness of hits and dekes, but it’s nothing I’d dive into for an extended period of time. That said, I know modes like this (FIFA’s Volta and Madden 21‘s The Yard) are other players’ jam.

In a sports gaming world where everything just feels safe with minor improvements, NHL 21 is a breath of fresh air. There’s something for everyone. Multiple game modes with different gameplay experiences, a ton of depth, and the most robust franchise mode I’ve played in a while. Yes, the rosters are in a weird spot — and there’s not a decent way to create the Seattle Kraken logo/uniforms when I attempt to create a team. Yes, sometimes the game can feel overwhelming in what it expects of you. But the amount of customization and depth is well worth the learning curve you’ll go through.

A copy of this game was provided to App Trigger for the purpose of this review. All scores are ranked out of 10, with .5 increments. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.