Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions

Genre: Sports (Soccer)

Players: 1-4 Team Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)

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Review:

Captain Tsubasa is a long-running manga and anime series about soccer (or football if you’re not American), and the franchise has inspired numerous videogames over the years, though for the most part Captain Tsubasa games have remained in Japan. However, in 2020 the franchise was brought to Western territories in the release of Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

It should be noted that the anime license here is not just for show – this is a game that wants to channel not just the look of the anime and characters, but the spirit as well, with over-the top special moves, an emphasis on story you don’t tend to see in most sports games, and an absurdly over-dramatized tone that seeks to make every shot, every pass, and every steal a larger-than-life situation. Players who aren’t familiar with the Captain Tsubasa series can still follow along easily enough – it is, after all, a sports series and ultimately everything just boils down to “we’ve fought hard for this and want to win!”. However, if you’re a Captain Tsubasa fan, you’ll no doubt enjoy all the fun little character moments and references here.

However, even those who have never seen the anime will be able to appreciate how wonderfully it has been translated into videogame form here. Much as with some of Namco Bandai’s other anime-licensed games like Dragon Ball FighterZ, Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions uses some really excellent cel-shaded visuals to replicate the look of the anime, and combines this with some dramatic camera angles during pivotal moments to really sell you on the amped-up anime nature of the game. This is backed by a similarly over-the-top epic orchestral soundtrack, and fully-voiced (in Japanese) characters, including the narrator and announcer.

Overall, the presentation here is great, but it comes at a cost – the framerates here are low and somewhat choppy, and even the menus in the game seem to be somewhat sluggish. It’s not enough of a flaw to seriously detract from the game, but given how fast-paced the gameplay can be, this slowdown is certainly unfortunate.

Speaking of that gameplay, this is a surprisingly complex and technical game for something based on a license that at least in theory appeals to kids. There are two types of passes (including the ability to charge), two types of stealing that players with the ball must respond to in different ways, multiple ways to power-up your moves… and all this is taking place during some fast-paced and hectic gameplay. There are even two types of soccer in the game – a traditional style, and a “freestyle” mode that does away with out-of-bounds, penalizes players for playing too defensively, and adds power-ups.

I should note that this gameplay is still quite good, but it will take a good deal of getting used to, and the tutorial to learn how to play the game is surprisingly long. It’s just a bit strange too, since this game seems to have difficulty deciding if it wants to be a technical simulation or a silly arcade-style experience – the over-the-top elements do not at all fit the former, and it’s far too complex to be suited for the latter.

Also, I will note that this game doesn’t have any interest in trying to get your ball past the goalie when taking a shot, instead preferring to have you break their “spirit” with repeated power shots, leaving them unable to defend further as you brute force your way through them. It works, I suppose, but it also does away with one of the more thrilling moments of the actual sport and replaces it with something else entirely.

There is one other thing I should mention here. By the time I write this review in 2022, this game’s online lobbies are completely deserted. Do not expect to make use of this feature. At the very least, this game supports other forms of multiplayer too, so you and friends can still throw down if you like.

In the end, Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is a solid game of Soccer that really does an excellent job pushing the envelope when it comes to channeling the spirit of the anime it’s based on. The gameplay here is good too, though it’s far too complex for its arcadey style and the deserted online lobbies are disappointing. However, even with these flaws, this is still one of the best Soccer games on Nintendo Switch, and soccer fans who don’t mind getting an anime-style exaggerated version of the sport will find it to be an excellent entry in the genre.

tl;dr – Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is a Soccer game based on the long-running manga and anime franchise. This game looks, sounds, and has the same general feeling of the anime that inspired it, and the gameplay is good too, though it’s too complex for its outlandish over-the-top style. The lack of opponents online is also disappointing. However, even with these flaws, this is still an excellent game of Soccer, and fans of the sport would do well to seek it out.

Grade: B-

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