One of the things most people expect from a soccer (or football to the rest of the world) game is the ability to go out on to the pitch, shuffle the ball around, shoot a few goals, and win the game. You can expect a variety of managerial and player modes centered around the basic concept of soccer, but what you probably didn't expect was a survival mode in FIFA 19. Yes, the annual soccer outing from EA Sports actually has a survival mode in the game to help enrich the gaming experience and add something entirely new to the FIFA gameplay.
According to a report from Eurogamer, FIFA 19 has a survival mode where you can turn off the referee and just go all out. This is all part of the new kick-off mode selections where you can customize your game and find settings that suit your play-style. This includes a survival mode where every time you score a point one of your players leaves the pitch. You'll continue to score points until you score 5 points or 90 minutes are reached. The thing is, you're still on a timer and have to play out the match as usual. So this creates a strategic dynamic on how and when you want to score. Do you let your opponent score once or twice to dwindle down their forces? Or do you go for the score and risk being down a man or two yourself? Do you score early in the game in order to get the leg up on the competition? Or do you score later in the game to even the odds and try to nab a win via the clutch?
There are also some additional rules to the survival mode. For instance, it still adheres to the rules of the pitch where you can't have fewer than seven players on the team. So you can score up to 5 points to win, or you can gain a point or two and run out the clock. Either one works for securing a victory.
It's also a really interesting dynamic and something fun and new to add to the gameplay experience. The Eurogamer article notes that some people began equating the concept with the Battle Royale modes in games like Fortnite or the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
The creative director for FIFA 19 found that humorous given that the mode is nothing like the Last Man Standing modes from other games, especially considering that you don't actually go down to a one-on-one scenario in FIFA 19, although it would be pretty cool if you did.
The Battle Royale mode is all the rage right now ever since it was made mainstream due to the popularity of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.
Additionally, there are extra settings for the survival mode that allow you to customize the gameplay experience even further. In addition to removing the ref from the field you can also turn off fouls, so this way you can go all out, being as ragtag and rough and tumble as you want. Funnily enough, this almost turns FIFA 19 into Rugby.
FIFA 19 is due for release next month for PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One.
