Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is an arcade soccer experience based on the beloved long-running anime and manga series that helped popularize the sport for a new generation of would-be athletic stars in Japan. The game from developer Tamsoft comes to PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, bringing melodramatic, cinematic, arcade soccer action much closer to Super Mario Strikers than any FIFA game, as the popularity of anime/video game crossovers continues to rise. One thing should be made apparent to those looking for an alternative to EA's soccer juggernaut: this is a Captain Tsubasa game first, and a soccer simulation second.
Captain Tsubasa is a nearly 40-year-old manga and anime series detailing the rise of Tsubasa Ozora, an extremely gifted soccer player. His friends and rivals swiftly rise through the ranks of professional football, and his enemies become his teammates when playing for the Japanese national team. Realism and underdog stories are not common, and Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions relishes in the ridiculous power shots and tackles. Soccer gameplay consists of a few basic pass types, a button to shoot, a sprint button, and a trick button. "Spirit" doubles as a player's stamina and mana for special moves: sprinting and getting tackled will deplete Spirit, while players with high Spirit can execute special moves like ridiculous power shots, complete with their own cutscene. It's far from revolutionary, but with the future of sports games looking bleak, it might not need to be.
The soccer mechanics are a little awkward, especially for players expecting an experience like FIFA. The camera is more zoomed in, requiring use of the minimap when switching players. Flowing moves are hard to construct, with the focus more on one-on-one battles and timing tackles and tricks. The game's two story modes, one which follows Tsubasa through the events of the show and the other following a player character, are filled with cinematics before, during, and after games. At its best, it feels like an interactive anime, with team talks and story beats reflective of what's gone on during the match. At its worst, however, the constant pauses are tedious, particularly when a match is lost and must be replayed, cutscenes and all.
Beyond the two campaigns, offline and online modes are available that work co-operatively and competitively. Most impressive is the Dream Club Creator, which allows users to create a Fantasy Football-esque team of the dozens of players included in the game, as well as design the club's kit and crest - features that aren't available in current and upcoming FIFA games.
For over-the-top soccer action, few will surpass Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, which captures the feel of the influential anime's bombastic style of soccer. Fans of the show have also been catered to, with full rosters, voice acting, and the ability to create a team of your favorites. The core gameplay, however, is a little lacking, particularly for those looking for a faithful recreation of the world's most popular sport with some early warning signs for this year's FIFA not boding well. The constant cutscenes and cinematics might grow tiresome after many playthroughs as well. Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is not a FIFA replacement, but it is a fun, rambunctious alternative for those curious, and easily recommended to fans of the show.
Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions releases August 28th on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC. Screen Rant was given a PS4 code for the purposes of this review.
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