The FIFA series has always tended be a touch exaggerated, like more of a rose-tinted rendition of the beautiful game as opposed to a wholly realistic one. Skills and tricks, favouring attacking over defensive solidarity, and building fantastical lineups through Ultimate Team—these are the hallmarks of the modern FIFA experience. But even they are about to outdone by what EA has planned for FIFA 17.

This season, you can take part in “The Journey,” an interactive narrative in which you play as the young footballer Alex Hunter trying to earn his first Premier League contract. Through dialogue decisions, on-pitch performances (in which you control only Hunter), and lavishly created cut-scenes his story is told, influenced by what you choose to say and how well you play on the pitch.

No bones about it, this a wild departure from FIFA‘s tried and tested formula, particularly for a franchise that has tended to favour small yearly tweaks over grand reinventions. Having said that, as sports game fans will already know, The Journey isn’t an entirely original exercise. The NBA 2K series, which has effectively made EA Sport’s own attempts at a basketball game redundant, has a remarkably similar mode called MyCareer.