Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions

72%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,027 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions Game Cover
Sports and anime collide with this new Captain Tsubasa game based on the hit series. Our review.
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"Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions" is a sports-action football game that brings the classic manga series to life. Experience dramatic narratives, stunning visuals, and fast-paced football matches with arcade-style gameplay. Build your own team and compete in various modes, including story-driven campaigns and online multiplayer. Immerse yourself in a world of football passion, growth, and friendship.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Cloud
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
  • Play​Station
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

72%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,027 reviews
story69 positive mentions
stability34 negative mentions
  • The game captures the essence of the Captain Tsubasa anime with engaging storylines and character interactions.
  • The gameplay is fun and fast-paced, featuring flashy animations and special moves that enhance the overall experience.
  • The character customization and RPG elements allow players to create unique characters and develop their skills throughout the game.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, particularly in online mode, making it frustrating to play.
  • The online matchmaking is poor, often resulting in matches against bots rather than real players.
  • The story mode can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with some players finding the cutscenes overly long and tedious.
  • story316 mentions

    The story aspect of "Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the nostalgic elements and character integration from the anime, while others criticize the repetitive and sometimes tedious nature of the storytelling. The game features two main story modes: one following the original narrative and another allowing players to create their own character, but both are noted to be relatively short and plagued by bugs and crashes. Overall, while the story offers engaging moments for fans, it often suffers from pacing issues and a lack of depth, leading to a less satisfying experience for some players.

    • “The story mode is enjoyable, but the challenges are really hard.”
    • “The ability to unlock clips from the anime and recreating it through the Nankatsu story is a lot of great fun whilst the new hero mode lets you live out the dream you had as a child of joining Tsubasa and co on the field as you go about becoming the best in the world.”
    • “The story mode triggers some of the more important scenes from the anime while you struggle with the enemy team, making it feel like an episode from one of the excellent Tsubasa shows - in that way, the main draw isn't the gameplay offered at all, but reminding you of Tsubasa's heartwarming story of stoicism and fair play.”
    • “The story mode of the game is a complete joke.”
    • “The biggest problem I have with the story mode is the fact that it ruins the characters from the manga/anime.”
    • “The story is short and feels like a demo; if you're expecting this to be a full story, no, it's not.”
  • gameplay178 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its mechanics as overly reliant on luck and repetitive, leading to a frustrating experience. While some appreciate the flashy animations and arcade-style action, others find the controls clunky and the online mode lacking stability. Overall, the game offers a unique take on soccer that may appeal to fans of the genre, but it suffers from significant bugs and design inconsistencies that detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “The gameplay is fast and addictive.”
    • “The gameplay itself is exciting, fast-paced, and action-packed, and it really feels like you have to strategize somewhat and put in that extra 10% to win out against strong opponents.”
    • “In the end, Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is an exceptionally fun arcade soccer experience that can be forgiven for its lack of an intriguing story because the gameplay is so fun.”
    • “It doesn't give much team options to play, and the controls are a pain in the ass. The movements, although they seem fancy, are incredibly fast, making the gameplay unplayable. The tutorial is broken; if you don't do what the game expects, it assumes you failed and starts over again.”
    • “The dribble mechanic is basically a coin toss mechanic, which is terrible for a game that wants to be PvP. No one wants to rely on luck in a competitive game.”
    • “The gameplay is incredibly short and repetitive, leaving me bored out of my mind.”
  • graphics58 mentions

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful anime-inspired art style and vibrant visuals that evoke nostalgia for fans of the original series. However, some players note issues such as graphical glitches, lack of optimization, and a need for improvements in animations and motion quality. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered good and fitting for the genre, there are significant concerns regarding performance and technical issues.

    • “The graphics are amazing and the gameplay is just excellent.”
    • “The graphics are definitely stunning, many fan favorites are in the game as well as new characters exclusive to the game, and the story brings a fun new twist on things as you play through as your own custom character.”
    • “Currently playing the new hero mode and I'm having the time of my life with the character I've created, scoring bunches with anime-esque flair, beautiful animations and art style.”
    • “Animations and graphics are bad.”
    • “Widescreen monitor users beware, your graphics will be stretched and there seems to be no way on this version to avoid that.”
    • “If you run the game in full screen or borderless, it's just not possible because of the graphic bugs which still are not fixed after a whole week.”
  • stability35 mentions

    The game's stability has been a significant concern among players, with many reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and crashes that hinder gameplay. While some users have noted improvements after several patches, issues such as lag in online matches and unresponsive controls remain prevalent. Overall, the game is described as fun but marred by technical problems, leading to a recommendation to wait for further updates before fully engaging with it.

    • “The game runs great on the deck; just apply all the bells and whistles and limit the game to 45 Hz / 45 FPS for a smooth, silent, and stable performance.”
    • “Gameplay sucks, movement is more buggy than an early access game with no dev team.”
    • “The game is still buggy, even on version 1.06.”
    • “All this time after release, the game is still not optimized, some stadiums and settings will cause any amount of issues from fps drops to visual glitches to outright crashes to desktop.”
  • optimization19 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including lag, stuttering, and various bugs, particularly in online matches. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay, especially on high-end systems, the consensus is that the game is not well-optimized and requires patches to address these ongoing issues. Despite the fun core gameplay, the lack of proper optimization detracts from the overall experience, leading many to recommend waiting for further updates.

    • “After following these steps, the game should run smoothly.”
    • “A patch is on its way to fix some tech issues, but other than a few minor hiccups, the game runs smoothly, and is insanely fun.”
    • “There are a couple of performance issues that could have been improved before release, but nonetheless, these can be overlooked since the core gameplay mechanics are fun and rewarding to master.”
    • “Con: a bit of lag for online matches and suddenly stuttering in the middle of the game.”
    • “Numerous game-breaking bugs, no widescreen support, performance issues even on high-end machines. I firmly believe Bandai didn't even bother beta-testing the PC release since it's completely unplayable at the moment.”
    • “All this time after release, the game is still not optimized. Some stadiums and settings will cause issues from FPS drops to visual glitches to outright crashes to desktop. This happens a lot, especially online, since the stadium/setting you get there is random. Speaking of online, the servers are terrible; you either get huge lag or disconnects fairly often, resulting in a loss and dropping sportsmanship points.”
  • music12 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack for enhancing the intensity and overall experience, while others find certain tracks repetitive or headache-inducing. Some players express a desire for more original music and customization options, particularly for specific themes. Overall, the soundtrack is often described as vibrant and fitting, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.

    • “I booted up the game and was immediately entranced by the aesthetics, the soundtrack, and the feel-good vibes.”
    • “It is one of the best OSTs I've listened to, and it works so well with the epicness of the story.”
    • “Music is awesome and puts you in the mood to play over the top.”
    • “And why is there no original music?”
    • “There is no soundtrack from the anime except for 'Moete Hero' (just hoping BNE or Tamsoft could make 'Dragon Screamer' or 'Feel So Right' from CT RT2002).”
  • grinding11 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is described as both tedious and time-consuming, with players spending extensive hours to improve their characters and stats through repetitive tasks. While some find the grinding monotonous, others appreciate the lack of microtransactions and the game's replayability due to multiple story routes. Overall, the grinding is seen as a necessary but potentially frustrating part of the experience, especially for those seeking to enhance their custom characters.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “That where I spent my 177 hours non-stop grinding and torturing myself.”
    • “The gameplay is technical and tedious; you must have control over the millimeter of what you must do. The problem lies in the monotony of always trying to figure out which shot will beat the goalkeeper. If your shot doesn't have a critical rate, the goalkeeper always catches the ball, and it depends on your shot strength to beat him.”
    • “For custom players that you can create, this is the grinding part of the game.”
  • monetization11 mentions

    Overall, the monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback. Many users appreciate the absence of microtransactions, highlighting that all in-game purchases can be earned through gameplay, which contrasts sharply with other titles known for aggressive monetization strategies. However, some players express frustration with the game's overall quality, suggesting that poor execution may overshadow the positive reception of its monetization model.

    • “Plus, having no microtransactions and having the play points be earned by playing the game makes me feel validated in my decision to abandon FIFA for this.”
    • “You are getting player cards and training cards from the packs that can be bought with game points (you gain these points as you play the game, no microtransactions).”
    • “There are no microtransactions in this game!”
    • “I get people's concerns and if the devs and Bandai Namco decide to enter Activision territory by adding microtransactions... yeah, that's a big no-no.”
    • “I will never buy any Bandai game anymore; they are all cash grabbers.”
    • “Bad quality all over this release, CTDs, monetization schemes, horrible gameplay compared to other soccer games too. This is why companies all over have a specific quality assurance department. If you ever go into consulting people, remember this game (and others like Anthem, yes I'm putting this game at its release at the level of Anthem's release). This is a prime example of why testing the game beforehand is really necessary - game refunded.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the funny character interactions and amusing subtitles throughout the story mode. However, some users noted that humorous bugs detract from the overall experience, suggesting that while the game has comedic elements, it may not be worth the price until these issues are resolved. Overall, the game is described as entertaining and funny, particularly for fans of RPGs and anime.

    • “I liked this game; it is really good and funny.”
    • “The story mode is fun to play through with some funny character interactions.”
    • “It's a funny game with some RPG elements; it feels like playing in an anime.”
  • replayability7 mentions

    The game offers great replayability, highlighted by features like a new hero mode and multiple story routes, which encourage players to explore different experiences. While the story mode is engaging, some players find the abundance of text and cutscenes can detract from the replay value. Overall, the gameplay remains fun and varied, contributing to its high replayability.

    • “Great replayability thanks to the new hero mode, and I have not even spent time in online yet, except a couple of games just to try it out with a friend.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and has very high replayability and a ton of things to do.”
    • “This grinding may sound boring, but the game at least has 3 times the replayability thanks to its 3 different story routes.”
    • “You could argue it's better for replayability, but it would be nice if you could nail your first run without needing to check and play around with things to make an okay player.”
    • “Replayability is there... that is when the game behaves and purrs like a cat.”
    • “This grinding may sound boring, but the game at least has three times the replayability thanks to its three different story routes.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke nostalgia and connection through its storytelling, which pays homage to beloved characters and themes from the original anime. While the gameplay may have its flaws, the narrative delivers a heartfelt experience that resonates with players, making them feel invested in the characters and their journeys. Overall, the game successfully captures the essence of Tsubasa's story, emphasizing themes of stoicism and fair play.

    • “It packs more of an emotional punch and really pays respect to every single character that appears in this game.”
    • “The story mode triggers some of the more important scenes from the anime while you struggle with the enemy team, making it feel like an episode from one of the excellent Tsubasa shows - in that way, the main draw isn't the gameplay offered at all, but reminding you of Tsubasa's heartwarming story of stoicism and fair play.”
    • “Loveable and heartfelt story and characters.”
    • “An attractive yet boring story full of suspense and excitement.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is highlighted through the portrayal of each school's struggles both on the football field and in their personal lives, offering a well-rounded view of the characters. Additionally, the fun and unique character designs enhance the overall experience, making the characters more engaging.

    • “Because it allows you to view each school's struggles and character development on the football field as well as in their outside lives.”
    • “Fun characters and awesome character designs.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters on a personal level.”
    • “I expected more growth and transformation from the characters, but they remain static throughout the game.”
    • “The character arcs are predictable and fail to provide any meaningful progression or emotional impact.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive quality, making players feel as though they are stepping directly into the anime world, fulfilling a dreamlike experience for many fans.

    • “The atmosphere is amazing; it feels like you are in the anime once again, which honestly is a child's dream come true for me.”
    • “The immersive environment draws you in, making every moment feel alive and vibrant.”
    • “The sound design and visuals create a captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged and wanting to explore more.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

73% average critic score

Buy Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions

Play time

7hMedian play time
16hAverage play time
8hMain story
104hCompletionist
2-36hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 16 analyzed playthroughs

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