Football RPG Inazuma Eleven may not be as familiar to westerners as some of developer Level 5’s other outings – Professor Layton and Ni No Kuni to name but two – but in its native Japan the series is popular enough to have its own line of merchandise and even a TV show. European DS owners have already enjoyed two instalments, and this third entry – which was released on the DS in Japan but has been upgraded to the 3DS here – promises to be the most action-packed yet.
The good
As you’d expect from the storytelling experts at Level 5, the plot and characters in Inazuma Eleven 3 are first-class. While this is a game that is aimed at younger players, there’s a surprisingly deep and varied cast of characters to familiarise yourself with – many of which were your opponents in the prequels.
The core gameplay remains the same as in Inazuma Eleven 1 and 2 – you explore the overworld in RPG segments and take part in football matches where the action is controlled by the touchscreen. These sections are the best bit about the game, allowing you to score goals with incredible special moves which play out in 3D on the 3DS console’s upper display. Your team grows in power and skill as you progress through the game and although it’s nowhere near as nuanced as FIFA or PES, the level of involvement you feel is arguably much greater; there are moments of high drama which rival anything that EA Sports and Konami’s teams can muster in their respective franchises.
The bad
As we’ve already mentioned, this is actually a DS game which has been promoted to the 3DS. While the 2D overworld sections look fine, the 3D elements which play out during the matches tend to be a little rough around the edges. There’s nothing here that pushes the host hardware and it’s a real shame that Level 5 couldn’t have spruced things up some more.
Also, if you’re buying Inazuma Eleven 3 in the hope that it will provide the same level of tactical depth as a traditional football simulation, don’t bother. While the action is undeniably exciting, there’s much less freedom on offer and the majority of the game is based largely around plot twists and off-pitch events rather than the acts of skill that happen during a match. It’s worth noting as well that Inazuma Eleven 3 has taken a leaf out of Pokémon’s book and has been released in two different versions – Bomb Blast and Lightning Storm. Both offer the same basic game, but each has unique content. If you want to experience the full story, you’ll need to buy both games – which is pretty costly.
The bottom line
Inazuma Eleven 3 is a perfectly decent RPG with a welcome difference – the sporting focus makes it feel unique when placed alongside its swords-and-sorcery stablemates. However, it’s impossible to shake the feeling that this is a last-generation experience dressed up in this season’s 3DS kit; visually it’s not a match for recent games on the console, and series stalwarts may even be a little disappointed with the fact that the gameplay hasn’t really moved on a great deal. Even so, there are hours of gameplay on offer here, as well as some truly gripping matches to play through.
