Following community feedback, the newly announced EA Sports FC 25 is ditching the arcade-like Volta mode in favor of Rush. This brand new mode pits two teams of five players each against one another in an appropriately sized pitch of 63.7×46.7 meters (down from the standard 105×68 meters). The size went through various iterations to get it right.
The main difference with Volta is that Rush fully retains the gameplay mechanics of the regular 11v11 mode when it comes to depth and balance of defending, attacking, dribbling, shooting, et cetera. Rush is obviously meant to be a social, accessible mode, with four humans (and the AI-controlled goalkeeper) controlling one player on each team. This allows them to have far more time with the ball, and every action on the field matters more due to the reduced team size. Positioning is also completely dynamic, just like in five-a-side football.
While Rush’s core mechanics are identical to regular matches, the developers still chose to introduce a few key changes to spice up the experience. For example, the kick-off sees players rushing to the ball, Rocket-League style; this does not apply to resuming the game after the other team has scored, which happens exactly like in real football. The offside line starts on the attacking third rather than the attacking half of a team to accommodate the different pitch and team sizes.
Perhaps more intriguing is the addition of blue cards. This has been discussed quite a while in the real sports, although FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed earlier this year the idea was ultimately scrapped. The concept is essentially borrowed from other sports: instead of a final red card that sends a player off the pitch for good, the blue card is a limited-time ban, as you would see in hockey or water polo. Currently, it lasts for one minute (a standard Rush match lasts eight minutes).
This creates an interesting dynamic where players need to be really careful with the fouls, else they might be crippling their team for a fairly sizable amount of time. With one less player on the pitch, everything is that much more challenging. On the flip side, just like in hockey or water polo, it creates a feeling where the team really needs to focus on holding off their rivals’ attempts to score for a set amount of time, and if they do, all will be well. Lastly, the penalty is also changed into a 1v1 battle reminiscent of old US-style shootouts, where the captain of the defending team briefly controls the goalkeeper.
While Rush is definitely a different ‘mode’ of playing EA Sports FC 25, it is perhaps not quite accurate to mention it as a separate mode. That’s because it’s actually integrated into every other mode available in the game: Kick Off, Clubs, Ultimate Team, and Manager Career (in the latter mode, you take control of your Youth Academy development throughout the season with new playable 5v5 tournaments). EA Sports wanted to take advantage of the shared progression system so that players would always feel like they were earning rewards regardless of what they were playing.
Thanks to EA, I was able to access a preview build of EA Sports FC 25 for a few hours to play Rush, and I have to say it was really fun, providing a faster, more accessible experience that, however, retains the core of what players love about the game. I played it as a single player, though, which inevitably felt more limited: the true potential of Rush will be unlocked online, with three friends with which you’ll coordinate on who is in charge of taking care of that side of the pitch, for example.
This is particularly relevant because the tactical options are limited: you can choose players before the match, but there are no substitutions, and you cannot assign AI-powered players to handle a specific Player Role. Rush will inevitably be tweaked a lot ahead of launch and even more so afterward, being a brand new experience, but I believe it has the potential to be a hit.
