Soccer Is Cool Now
Sports games tend to trend towards realism, soccer games in particular. But what if they leaned way in the opposite direction? What if soccer games were a lot more… anime? Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is what happens when you take regular soccer and add special attacks and high-tension drama.
Based on a long-running manga series, Captain Tsubasa follows the protagonist on his lifelong journey towards soccer stardom. The manga has been running in various incarnations since 1981, hence that sweet retro art style in the trailer. This suggests that the game will have both wacky specials and a touching narrative to play through. Also one of the moves involves a giant spectral bird helping you kick harder? Color me intrigued.
Apparently, those insane moves you see in the trailer are an important element in the original series. If nothing else, they make for a crazy exciting soccer match. Having previously had zero interest in soccer games of any sort, this story-heavy, action-packed shonen version of the sport might inspire a change of heart. There’s no concrete release date yet, but the game is coming to PC, PS4, and the Nintendo Switch sometime in 2020. You can check out the announcement trailer embedded below.