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Forget "FIFA" and "PES": "Captain Tsubasa" is the true football champion
2.9.2020
Translation: machine translated
Dramatic rivalries. Emotional flashbacks. Football pitches with a curvature of the earth. And shots kicked so hard that they send the goalkeeper crashing into the net: The legendary anime series about the super footballer Captain Tsubasa is finally getting a worthy game adaptation. The kick-off for the big duel between Luca and me is at 2 pm.
"No one can slow him down. Nobody fools him. Always the right shot. Always at the right time."
This is the intro to what was probably the most successful anime series of the early 1980s: "The Great Football Stars". It was created in 1981 by Yōichi Takahashi, particularly inspired by the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina. The story revolves around the talented 11-year-old Tsubasa Ozora, who dreams of a great career - and we dream with him.
The series is full of drama, on and off the pitch. There are rivalries. Hard-hitting training sessions. Deep friendships. The matches sometimes last for several episodes. They are the highlight of the series, not least because of the completely crazy special attacks that defy the laws of physics and turn the ball into an egg because it is shot so hard.
With "Captain Tsubasa: Rise of the Champion", there is now finally a PC and console conversion that is just as crazy as the series and that is precisely why it is so much fun.
Play as Tsubasa or as a newcomer
"Captain Tsubasa: Rise of the Champion" can be played alone or online against others. Developer Tamsoft has two campaigns for single players. In "Episode New Hero", you create your own character and try to lead your team to the title.
The highlight for fans of the series, however, is the episode about Tsubasa. It retells the section of the anime series that deals with the third national championship. Like the series, there are animated cut-scenes à gogo between all the football matches, all with an overdose of emotion typical of anime. Former team-mates, who now attend different schools, become rivals. And because football is not just sport, but life, the competitions are fateful.
The game gradually introduces all the other well-known characters from the series. You can also look up clips on individual characters and their background story. For example, you can find out that Tsubasa was hit by a lorry as a child. However, the football he was holding in his hands stopped the impact and saved his life. Since then, Tsubasa has had a motto: The football is your friend.
Even: Drama on and off the pitch.
Arcade instead of simulation
As mentioned, the games are regularly interrupted by story sequences. For example, when the opposing team launches the Falcons' special attack or Tsubasa talks to the other team's striker about how that was a particularly nice move.
Despite a few bugs, such as the shifted text in the menus, and the lack of a synchronised audio version - at least the text is in German - the first few hours of "Captain Tsubasa: Rise of the Champion" are surprisingly fun. The game captures the spirit of the series perfectly and even if it doesn't have the depth of a "FIFA" or "PES" game, it entertains a sports game fan like me superbly.
"Captain Tsubasa: Rise of the Champion" is available for PC, PS4 and Switch and was provided to us by Bandai Namco.
We stream on Youtube and on Twitch. You can also check out our Discord channel.
This is how we stream:
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chAs a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
Gaming
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