NHL Arcade now playable in World of Chel, also introducing new variations Arcade+ and Frenzy
NHL Arcade is now officially live in NHL 25 World of Chel Live Events.
The mode is a reimagining of the fan-favorite 3 on 3 NHL Arcade game on the new, modern game engine.
Featuring arcade style 3-on-3 gameplay with Big Heads, no glass, stoppages, and power-ups, the first team to five goals wins.
Players can play the game mode solo or with friends and can play as the goalie if desired. All players in the mode are the same height, weight, and overall, taking out meta builds and emphasizing the powerups.
The official breakdown of the power-ups from EA:
- Supershot - An unblockable shot that clears a path to the net and knocks down the goalie, creating a mad scramble for the rebound
- Big Player - Become the ultimate defender by growing in size. Land mega checks that can knock opposing players clean out of the rink
- Freeze - Freeze an opponent and gain a brief player advantage. Frozen players can break out of the ice early by smashing buttons.
- Banana - A trio of bananas create havoc with the opportunity to take down opposing skaters
- Super Speed - Strap on a pair of rockets and blast around the ice at blinding speeds
- Double Score - As the name suggests, get double the goals while this power-up is active
- Small Goalie - Shrink the opponent's goalie to increase chances of scoring, but even tiny goalies can make heroic saves
- Big Goalie - Supersize your goalie for mega saves and stop Supershots! Just remember, big goalies have big “five holes” (between the legs opening).
Screenshots of Arcade Mode are below.
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"A lot of iteration goes into defining the core ruleset and then once we have that built it's just how much awesome can we pack into this," EA Principal Game Designer Matt McTavish told The Hockey News over Zoom.
"Every powerup we faithfully recreate but then we try it take it to the next level, playing in World of Chel you're locked on, its 3v3, and that let us explore some really new ideas."
Throughout the World of Chel seasons Arcade will cycle through three variations, classic, Arcade+ and Frenzy.
Arcade+ is the same as classic but comes with four additional power-ups:
- Lightning - Lightning strikes add a jolt of electricity to the game and can electrocute anyone - friend, foe or puck - taking them out for a short time
- Curse - A voodoo doll that drops a curse and reverses the controls
- TNT Puck - Turn the puck into an explosive game-changer, knocking down anyone caught in its blast radius
- Angry Mascot - Receive help from your club's mascot and let them run wild, smashing anyone caught in their way
Frenzy features UFOs that will occasionally shoot at tractor beam that pulls one player away from the play or laser beams that will leave fire on the ice and incapacitate any players who skate through for a short period of time.
This current Arcade Event runs until 12am PT Dec. 2.
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