It feels very much like playing an anime, with central themes of friendship, believing in oneself and doing one's best while it's certainly aimed at a younger audience - Persona for the post-primary school set - the characters are so appealing that the young-at-heart will enjoy the after-school special storyline as well.Īside from its anime aesthetic and feel-good foundations, Inazuma's claim to fame is its gameplay: a hybrid system that switches seamlessly from overhead, overworld RPG exploration to soccer-based battles and back again. The story's quick-moving, genuinely sweet, and gloriously over the top you'll start out in a familiar schoolyard setting, but it's not long before the first opposing team shows up on an enormous battleship, like a pee-wee delegation from the Galactic Empire, and things only ramp up from there.
As you might imagine, Mark's not about to let that happen if he can help it, so together with a colourful cast of classmates - including a mysterious new transfer student with a swift kick and a secret - you'll embark on a quest to save the club, win the Soccer Frontier tournament, and unravel a few mysteries along the way.
Inazuma Eleven puts players in the confident cleats of eternally optimistic Mark Evans, keeper for Raimon Junior High's ragtag and soon-to-be-disbanded soccer club.