Get the jersey out and lace up your soccer shoes, because Bandai Namco is firing up the nostalgia cannon: Captain Tsubasa is getting a real video game! And one might wonder: Why did it take so long?
This was announced today: Let this be said upfront – if you are primarily interested in realistic soccer simulations and/or have no nostalgic memories of Captain Tsubasa, then this is not your article.
However, if you were a big fan of Captain Tsubasa as a child, then today brought possibly the most surprising announcement ever. Because Captain Tsubasa is getting an updated video game with “Rise of New Champions” for PS4, Switch, and PC – just like that, out of nowhere. And it looks like it could actually do justice to the anime. At least, judging by the first trailer:
A trailer full of memories
This is Captain Tsubasa: Captain Tsubasa is a manga and anime series revolving around the titular soccer player Tsubasa Ozora. To be precise, there have been several anime series. And it’s quite likely that you watched them as a child if you like soccer. The series follows Tsubasa on his journey from a soccer-playing child to a Japanese national player competing for the World Cup.
Is this just a normal soccer series? Short answer: No. After all, it is a classic anime that aired alongside Pokémon, One Piece, and Dragonball. Accordingly, the matches were a bit more unrealistic compared to FIFA. When Kojiro Hyuga fired his feared “Tiger Shot,” such a beast appeared in the background.
The ball then flew towards the goalpost at about 1200 km/h, only to be caught with one hand. Meanwhile, players were shot out of their shoes with powerful shots, Tsubasa rushed around the field as part of the “Golden Duo,” or leaped into the air for a double bicycle kick. And when a player started dribbling, the field bent as if it were a globe. All things that are probably not seen in FIFA 20. After all, it wants to be realistic – well, most of the time.
The first real Tsubasa game in 10 years
What kind of game will this be? Not much is known yet about “Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions.” However, the trailer shows pretty much everything that made the series what it was. It is primarily supposed to deliver arcade soccer matches that you can play offline and online against your friends. Additionally, there will be a story mode.
This is how fans are reacting: The trailer looks like the game that Tsubasa fans have wished for years. Because apart from the occasional mobile offshoot, there hasn’t been much heard from Tsubasa in terms of games. Bandai Namco speaks of the first console release in 10 years.
Due to the silence around Tsubasa, some comments on YouTube under the trailer are accordingly surprised: “I thought Tsubasa would never get a real game and I would have to play Dream Team on my phone forever. Thank you, Bandai,” user Danté Walker-Brown happily remarks.
“That is as unexpected as it could be,” user Keiji Johnson finds. Overall, the comments are extremely positive: “My childhood can hardly wait,” says user Warp Luna. So it seems we will have to wait and see what comes of it. The game is set to be released in 2020 for PS4, PC, and the Nintendo Switch.
Maybe Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is an option for this player who has had enough of FIFA:
