The all-new Exhaust Engine, Physics-Based Contact, and Total Control system refresh the NHL gameplay experience.
During the premiere reveal of NHL 24, EA SPORTS NHL announced the all-new Exhaust Engine, designed to emulate the authenticity of momentum-swinging, pressure-filled, real-life hockey moments.
The Exhaust Engine entails the Sustained Pressure System and the Goalie Fatigue System.
The Sustained Pressure System gives teams an endless forecheck on offense when activated. The defending team is tasked with surviving the building pressure. The attacking team must build up the Sustained Pressure Meter to activate Full Pressure through puck possession, hits, and shots on goal. When Full Pressure is triggered, the attacking team gets the Adrenaline Effect, increasing passing speed and accuracy for up to 30 seconds.
Conversely, the defending team is marked with the Pinned Effect, negatively impacting their skating ability. In such situations, the defending team is forced to find different ways of defending the net. Negating Full Pressure is possible by clearing the puck for five continuous seconds.
The Goalie Fatigue System offers new goal-scoring meta and highlight reel save animations. Goalie fatigue increases or recovers depending on various factors during play. Tiring actions fatigue the goalie, including shots on goal, time in zone, and passes across the crease. Conversely, there are things a player could do to recover their goalie’s stamina, including clearing the puck, causing a face-off, calling a time-out, or any other stoppages of play except for icing.
NHL 24 also includes an all-new Physics-Based Contact system, where delivering big body checks and creating mini-man advantage chances are possible. It is designed to expand defensive utilities and make checking more engaging and tactful. Players can even break the glass and send their opponents to the bench! That said, any attempts at impactful body checks are also risky, as missing them results in chances for the opposition.
NHL 24 also has a revamped control setup. It includes a vision passing system, Total Control skill moves, and one-touch passing.
Vision passing allows players to target passes to specific players, and one-touch passing will add another layer that permits players to play ahead of the competition. Total Control promotes accessibility by allowing players to pull off skill-based moves with a touch of a button.
EA SPORTS NHL 24 will be available on Oct. 6, 2023, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. For more information on EA SPORTS NHL 24, visit https://www.ea.com/games/nhl/nhl-24.
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