Inazuma Eleven: Heroes' Great Road

Are regular football games just not cutting it for you anymore? Tired of the repetition, bland animations, and the same old pitches and faces? Well, here's some news for you! There's a game on the way that takes the footballing concept to wacky new levels. And it's called Inazuma Eleven: Heroes' Great Road.

The upcoming hybrid RPG / Sports game takes after an anime depicting adventures of a band of junior high footballers' path to glory. This isn't your average sporting game - it's taking all the overblown techniques, skill, and exchange of banter into a fast-paced, objective-based world. Could this be the gamechanger on the sporting front?

The Road to Success is Riddled with Obstacles

'Inazuma Eleven: Heroes' Great Road has been delayed multiple times after being announced in 2016. Why? No one really seems to know. Perhaps developers Level-5 are having difficulties delivering on this ambitious concept of a game. That speaks a bit of concern about the outcome, but we can gather what we already know.

It's poised for release in 2023, which means we still have some ways to go. The views from trailers and pre-alpha gameplay depict that the game will have its core mechanics rooted in on-field football action. It serves more like a combat arena than a sporting ground. We're probably assured of regular football game schematics and objectives with an added anime-style flair.

Being a game based on an anime - it's likely that Inazuma Eleven: Great Road of Heroes will be very narrative-heavy. The fact that there are RPG elements off the field reaffirms this notion. The gameplay shows that you will travel around the grounds of your school, picking up quests, chatting to NPCs, and completing games based on the progression of a storyline. All rather interesting!

Visually the game looks fantastic. Colorful, cel-shaded palettes flood the screen with smooth yet appropriately quick animations. There's already enough to be excited about in Inazuma Eleven: Heroes' Great Road - again, we just don't know enough to see what it will bring. As we get closer to the release date - we should get more information pending no more delays.

The Beautiful Game Will Have to Wait

Reiterating its delays - that always provides concerns for prospective players. Recent history has dictated that games that face an endless series of delays come out a bit problematic, to say the least. We'll just have to agree to disagree at the moment that Inazuma Eleven: Great Heroes' Road looks promising.

Pros:

• Visuals complement the fast-paced footballing action of the anime
• Ambitious RPG / Sports hybrid game
• Faithful to the anime series

Cons:

• Not much information about the game available

Soccer and magic - two incompatible things in our world have found their application in the sports game Inazuma Eleven: Heroes' Great Road. Defeating the students of the elite Academy is a dream that can become a reality thanks to you.

Football Drama

Sometimes, watching the actions of others we ourselves unwittingly start to light up with ideas and love for something. This is what happened to Sasanami Unmei, a high school student who cannot play soccer because of an injury, but who is inspired by another's dream. Sasanami becomes the manager of a soccer club and develops strategies for struggling soccer players. Someone who doesn't play soccer, but plays a big part in getting things done.

The Three Pillars of Football

Putting a team together is not easy. Trying to convince some of the school's best players to be part of a team to fight against stronger opponents takes up most of the gameplay. In Inazuma Eleven: Heroes' Great Road may have three main characters at once :

• Endo Mamoru.
• Sasanami Unmei
• Matsukaze Tenmei

All three main characters will lead their teams to victory in the same timeline. The player can choose how the heroes interact with each other. The open world will leave the choice of action up to the player. Whether or not to approach the sad guy is now up to you, not the game.

Variety of players

Chronicle mode unlocks all of the characters from past games. Teams can be mixed from different, completely unfamiliar characters. Experiment with the set of teams and defeat similarly unexpected mixed teams.