Okay so, I don't like soccer. I only got this game because Level 5 has a pretty good record with me -- two Laytons and DQ8. I only knew a little about the game from various videos and I knew it was some sort of RPG, I had no idea it was like, this full on JRPG.
I have to say though, it's great.
The game begins with an anime cutscene with your main character Endou going pleading with the existing members of the RAIMON (such a cool name) soccer club to come practice with him. None of them care enough to get up and our hero goes to practice alone. He then runs into some rugby team guys and your first "Soccer Battle" begins. The objective was to score a goal on the other team, I failed, but I think I was supposed to so it's okay. It was mostly to get you started on learning the controls, and you will need a lot of getting used to them. As you go on you'll start to have random battles just like this one where you'll have mini objectives like score a goal, get the ball and so on. When you win you get XP to level up your characters and money for training and healing up. Yeah, XP, healing -- it's a fucking JRPG.
The actual soccer portions of the game are all touch screen based, you draw your players routes, kick passes and shoot all by sliding and tapping the touch screen. It seems like a lot to handle at first, but you get used to it. Whenever your character approaches someone with the ball or vice-versa the game stops and allows you to pick from 3 different moves as well as set up other players for defensive and offensive opportunities. Once you pick a move be it a smaller move with more ball control, a more aggressive move with less ball control or a secret attack, you see a little cutscene with two numbers that are randomly generated based on your stats (I think) the higher number wins, and the goes back to the regular game screen. If you fail an attack, your character becomes temporarily immobile. When you want to shoot, you can just tap an area, pick from either shoot, special or uh some sort of lob (sorry I don't know shit about soccer) and off you go.
It's pretty simple really.
Just describing the match gameplay is totally just scratching the surface as to why the game is so good. It is a Level 5 game so all of the following are awesome:
Music -- So good, there is a headphone mix for nicer high quality audio.
Graphics -- unless you're amir0x you will think it looks great for the DS and the special attacks are really cool looking
Writing -- It's corny shonen manga stuff, but it doesn't feel like a bad copy of a shonen manga like other RPG's. I was rooting pretty hard for one of my characters at the end of chapter 2. It's predictable, but fun.
The way the story is delivered is just so well done too, I don't wanna spoil anything but the way they tell the story through the actual things you do in the soccer matches, it's just good good stuff.
If you were whining about the lack of innovation in JRPG's, Inazuma 11 says WASSUP.
Oh, one more thing. Japanese language skills are necessary. All kanji does have furigana, though.
I have to say though, it's great.
The game begins with an anime cutscene with your main character Endou going pleading with the existing members of the RAIMON (such a cool name) soccer club to come practice with him. None of them care enough to get up and our hero goes to practice alone. He then runs into some rugby team guys and your first "Soccer Battle" begins. The objective was to score a goal on the other team, I failed, but I think I was supposed to so it's okay. It was mostly to get you started on learning the controls, and you will need a lot of getting used to them. As you go on you'll start to have random battles just like this one where you'll have mini objectives like score a goal, get the ball and so on. When you win you get XP to level up your characters and money for training and healing up. Yeah, XP, healing -- it's a fucking JRPG.
The actual soccer portions of the game are all touch screen based, you draw your players routes, kick passes and shoot all by sliding and tapping the touch screen. It seems like a lot to handle at first, but you get used to it. Whenever your character approaches someone with the ball or vice-versa the game stops and allows you to pick from 3 different moves as well as set up other players for defensive and offensive opportunities. Once you pick a move be it a smaller move with more ball control, a more aggressive move with less ball control or a secret attack, you see a little cutscene with two numbers that are randomly generated based on your stats (I think) the higher number wins, and the goes back to the regular game screen. If you fail an attack, your character becomes temporarily immobile. When you want to shoot, you can just tap an area, pick from either shoot, special or uh some sort of lob (sorry I don't know shit about soccer) and off you go.
It's pretty simple really.
Just describing the match gameplay is totally just scratching the surface as to why the game is so good. It is a Level 5 game so all of the following are awesome:
Music -- So good, there is a headphone mix for nicer high quality audio.
Graphics -- unless you're amir0x you will think it looks great for the DS and the special attacks are really cool looking
Writing -- It's corny shonen manga stuff, but it doesn't feel like a bad copy of a shonen manga like other RPG's. I was rooting pretty hard for one of my characters at the end of chapter 2. It's predictable, but fun.
The way the story is delivered is just so well done too, I don't wanna spoil anything but the way they tell the story through the actual things you do in the soccer matches, it's just good good stuff.
If you were whining about the lack of innovation in JRPG's, Inazuma 11 says WASSUP.
Oh, one more thing. Japanese language skills are necessary. All kanji does have furigana, though.
