Nintendo has revealed in today’s Direct that the 1st in Level-5’s sports RPG series, Inazuma Eleven, is coming to the US. It will be available immediately after the Direct on the 3DS eShop.
Inazuma Eleven was originally released in Japan in 2008, and came to UK and Europe in 2011, so this US release comes very late, but is not unappreciated if fan reactions on Twitter are any indication.
The game also received widely popular manga and anime incarnations in 2008. Tenya Yabuno has been making the critically acclaimed manga for CoroCoro Comic since June 2008. The anime series was made by OLM from 2008 to 2011 and was shown in TV Tokyo, Disney XD, and many other channels worldwide.
The game has RPG and sports elements, which partly hearken to early Famicom sports games, but definitely made for a modern audience. Like an RPG, there is an open world where your team explores to fight casual matches, seek out new items, or just advance the plot.
When you switch to the actual soccer matches, though, gameplay utilizes the DS’ unique features. You use the stylus to move your players around, to dodge attacks, slide tackle to steal the ball, or use special abilities. You can also earn Genki Points / Fitness Points to run for a limited amount of time, and Technical Points to use special abilities.
Overall, the game is known for its sense of humor, flair in presentation, and some really good gameplay. Nintendo sat down on this release for way too long, but this does open the door for other popular old DS games possibly making it to 3DS, and hopefully the Wii U as well, very soon.
