With sports season well and truly underway in a gaming sense, NHL 27 is the latest to return. It doesn’t push any boundaries, and honestly it feels too similar to last year. Still, that core gameplay is satisfying enough for the most part, with games remaining exciting and tense. Familiar modes like World of Chel and HUT are back, and while there are few changes, the complete package is more than enough to keep players engaged, especially if you’re coming back to the series after a few years away.
NHL 27 looks exceptional. The arenas are more personalised and unique to each team, featuring staples of their real-world counterparts. The ice starts to look different as the games go on thanks to the wear and tear of blades gliding on it and hockey sticks smashing the crap out of the pucks. The jumbotrons offer team-specific packages as well, and the fans in the arenas roar as your team begins to play better. Overall, presentation is fantastic, and you can’t fault EA Vancouver for attention to detail in pretty much every aspect of the visuals during game time.
When it comes to the gameplay, it feels almost unchanged. The mantra ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ feels relevant here. When you’re in control of your player, significant control over the puck feels excellent, and breaking back for defence is where a lot of the thrills come from. Teammates don’t always react to the game as well as they could, especially when you watch opposition work in sync without fail. This year, team-specific playbooks can be used to change how teams play, and this can adjust how AI reacts to the action, but it’s not as noticeable as I’d have liked.
Opposing goalkeepers seem to be too good at times. It was the third period and I’d taken 28 shots from all over the ice, using a range of shots to slip one into the goal, but I couldn’t break him. It was frustrating given how I tried every trick in the book. It doesn’t make you feel great when there’re times scoring feels almost impossible. When you do score, it’s hard to revel in the elation because you’ve spent a significant time being frustrated. The defence don’t help either, as the opposition seems to work like a well-oiled unit compared to your AI teammates.
BE A Pro feels similar to last year as well. It’s perhaps my favourite mode because I can focus solely on my created player. When you play sports titles every year, it’s hard to notice change. Press conferences are pretty much the same, but I still loved taking my player from a zero to a hero. Franchise Mode is another I enjoy, but again, not a ton is different this year. If you’re an avid online player, Connected Franchise lets you play in a 32-team league where every team is controlled by a real person, which is definitely one of the best inclusions for NHL 27.
One thing I did like was how music plays a much bigger role. In the menus, each song that plays has some relevance to the NHL. From songs that play at specific team home games to others that have a deeper meaning to the sport, you’ll see a short description where the song has been utilised in the league. Presentation is where NHL 27 has flourished this year, and this feature is cool to see. Another audio change sees a new commentary team that does a great job bringing the excitement as well as a modern change to proceedings.
It’s hard to fully recommend NHL 27 to fans of the series because it feels relatively unchanged. The music and presentation has received updates which are noticeable, but gameplay and most modes are too similar. When you’re on the ice, the addition of Playbooks using the NHL Edge technology are more noticeable after spending a good chunk of time getting a feel for how they work. It’s just a touch frustrating when AI opposition can be almost too responsive and teammates don’t always react as quickly to the changes you’re making.
