Welcome to our review of Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, the soccer manga that defied all logic is now a soccer game!
The worlds of Soccer and Anime converge in Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, based on the renowned Captain Tsubasa series. The game chronicles the athletic exploits of Tsubasa Ozora as he plays out his love for the game and advances through the ranks of multiple Soccer leagues. Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions immerses players in an action-packed soccer game that features exhilarating gameplay, over the top signature shots, and accessible gameplay.
When I was little, I used to wake up on the weekends to watch Club Dorothee, a show on French TV that aired anime way before they were the new thing and some called this the first wave of anime. This was the time of the original Macross, Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya and so many more. Olive et Tom, the name for Captain Tsubasa was one of many series dubbed in french and partially responsible why I am fluent in french nowadays.
Captain Tsubasa, like the game, is all about soccer and it is a mix between fake physics and a pitch that is just about 18 kilometers long. Yes, there has been someone in the past that calculated this and while this was limited to the anime, the game is more a soccer game but those weirdo physics still exist.
Fans of the soccer game might not fully like this over the top soccer game as you got overpowered shots at goal, incredibly strong goalies, and fouls that would nearly kill a regular soccer player. I must say that while I love the real game a lot, Captain Tsubasa is a completely new ball game.
First of all, I did play a preview before, and well, I never noticed at the time that some mechanics just did not work properly. I assume that this is what everyone wants to know, right? It is a soccer game so you can expect the usual, but there are tons of weird things to mention about this specific soccer game.
First of all, the tackling of your opponents is incredibly violent, from pure shoulder tackles to literally and seemingly breaking your opponents’ shins. They are that violent and even from behind, a full body check is totally possible and usual. If you did not see this one coming, prepare to be in for a surprise.
Secondly, what is up with the goalies returning the ball to the opponent on multiple occasions in all of my games. I actually got a goal scored against me due to this, regardless of what button I pressed, it just drops the ball into the opponent’s feet and while they mostly just drop air balls, this was very unwelcome, to say the least.
Thirdly, for some odd reason, I had one player on my team who refused to take shots at goal. So I know what button I needed to press as I had just verified it with another player and before I knew it, he was just using that same button to pass to the center forward. Sure, he had a very nice goal that way, but what was wrong with that?
Fourth, defenders can be so darn sturdy in some games. I had this one game where I just felt like I was unable to take a single shot at goal. The recap info showed I had just taken 3 shots on goal and while I did win the game, every single attack in the second half was broken down in such a foul way, that I nearly ended up rage quitting. I was getting so frustrated by this, that I was about to throw my controller into the wall…
In conclusion, Captain Tsubasa is very ill-balanced as a game and while some of the attacks may look cool, the entire game is just what it is, another anime turned into a game. I had some fun playing it and not all is it bad, but just the overall feeling got kind of influenced by the downsides I mentioned. I just wish it were better balanced. The second game I played, I was already having hardships winning basic duels and it only got harder afterward….