Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters Review – Big Shots, Bigger Drama

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters Review

Starting life as a manga in the ’80s, the famed series quickly jumped to the small screen and interactive medium, cementing the franchise as a cornerstone of Japanese pop culture. Although the prodigy has featured in numerous games, it was the 2020 title that rebooted the series with a retelling of the first arc from the famed manga. Following this is the direct sequel, World Fighters, but can it reach the same chaotic highs as its predecessor?

Whereas Rise of the Champion focused on the New Hero arc, World Fighters follows the World Youth narrative. Although it’s a sequel, newcomers will quickly get up to speed with its history and be ready for the new adventure that awaits. After creating your character, the game quickly throws you into an engaging tale as you represent your country in the Junior Youth World Challenge. Developing on aspects of the original, more side scenarios help you build stronger bonds with your teammates. Through these side stories, you learn about the vast array of characters and become invested in their individual tales and battles.

Football is Life

The story is central to the experience, and due to this, you’ll spend large portions watching cutscenes that inform the purpose of each match. While the tales are engaging, the cinematography is basic during these segments, feeling closer to a visual novel than a film. You are given some choice with the odd response, which adds some interactivity to the segments; however, these choices lack any meaningful consequence.

Segmented into episodes, the structure makes it easier to digest due to the ability to dip in and out when you want. In addition to setting up your next fixture, it also gives a broader picture of the tournament, which gives you further insight into the other teams. Bonding episodes also build on this, informing you of the player’s personal goals and rivalries, which often bleed onto the pitch. While care and attention have been given to the multilayered narrative, more care with how these translate to the medium would have made this more engaging. For example, small gameplay segments accompanying sections would allow you to gain the knowledge in a more engaging manner.

Speaking of which, on the grass is where you take control. Captain Tsubasa 2 is closer in style and gameplay to arcade football games such as Soccer Sidekicks and Mario Strikers than FC or PES. Improving on Rise of the New Champions, the passing and the general flow of the match is much more exciting. You can chain together manoeuvres, playing to the strengths of your team to open up your opponent’s defence and get a shot on goal and much more.

Super Skills

If you’re on the opposite side, you must use special blocks and slide tackles to avoid conceding. If your opponent does manage to get past, then it’s down to the keeper to pull off a special save. These segments are well executed, forcing both the shooter and goalkeeper to choose a direction. The second half often heightens the drama. As teams push for victory or an equaliser, more specials are used, which leads to a climactic finish. The addition of aspects like this adds to the spectacle of the match, creating a wonderful cinematic rendition of the sport.

Unfortunately, the game is lacking modes. After the campaign, there are offline matches and practice. These are great options to develop your skills in order to jump online to test your prowess on the pitch against others. However, the lack of tournaments or an Ultimate Team-style squad builder gives little incentive to revisit the game after the story mode.

The Final Whistle

The game perfectly captures the distinct art direction of Yōichi Takahashi and translates this to the interactive medium with vibrant visuals that bring the iconic manga to life. The visuals shine in the mid-match cinematics where over-the-top actions keep you enthralled with every moment. However, I do wish this style had bled into the storytelling, bringing a more dynamic approach to dialogue-focused segments rather than relying on the typical shots used throughout these sequences.

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters successfully combines story and soccer to create an experience that scratches an itch which titles such as FC don’t manage to do. While it improves the on-pitch action, story segments remain the same as the original, lacking inspired visual direction. Although there is a lack of modes, the story and arcade gameplay make this a worthwhile experience for fans of the series and those looking for a more over-the-top take on soccer.

***A PlayStation 5 code provided by the publisher***