Captain Tsubasa

"Blend them like Tecmo"

Releasing Captain Tsubasa on the Sega CD was a wild bet. Tecmo, which turned anime fans into devotees by brilliantly making stupendous games out of the series, nevertheless marched on, claiming that the console's power would enable the game to be a visual feast and to include voices. They were right; the only Captain Tsubasa title to be released on Sega's unborn console is virtually impeccable.

However, there remains the fact that the game was doomed to be obscure, the percentage of Sega CD owners who actually like Captain Tsubasa being very slim. The series was already ignored on Nintendo consoles. Who in his right mind would buy a Sega CD solely for the game? And what was the probability that those who already possessed a Sega CD liked the anime enough to consider giving the game a try?

But I don't care. It doesn't matter that nobody seems to realize the game even exists – titles that are so close to perfection seem to be ignored anyway, as they're aimed for small groups of gamers. El Viento is an example. So is Snatcher (also on the Sega CD!). Add yet another Captain Tsubasa release to the list.

One who has played the first CT title on the NES would regard this game as a mere port of it. It is not. This one lets you control other teams, something which the NES game never did – and I'm not even stressing on the teams that can be unlocked for 2-player mode. Of course, one could argue that the NES title never had such a mode to begin with.

I'll admit that the story alone may lead you into assuming that this is merely a refined version of the aforementioned title. It's exactly the same with little to no changes – this is understandable by the fact that the story is directly taken from the anime. It couldn't logically take later parts since this would confuse anybody who has played the NES and SNES titles, and never this Sega CD release simply because they did not have access to it.

The plot follows Tsubasa's humble beginnings in the Nankatsu team. Control the team as Tsubasa and his mates participate in a Japanese soccer tournament. Captain Tsubasa isn't exactly a story in itself, but rather plots for the main characters. Tsubasa's personality and motives are thus revealed as you progress through the game. Get to know him, and learn to love or hate him.

But it's not just about him!

While his own team has other star players in Wakabayashi, Misaki, and Ishizaki, the other teams have even better players. Leading the way is Kojro Hyuga from Meiwa, a ruthless player who will brush aside all your puny defensive efforts. The game places much emphasis on the rivalry between Tsubasa and Hyuga, almost neglecting the deep personalities of Wakashimazu, the wizard goalkeeper, or Misugi, the ill-fated ‘Wonderkid'.

Captain Tsubasa's story is captivating, and the depth of each character will astound you. Secrets are unearthed during wonderful intermissions that pop up between matches, and sometimes during fixtures themselves.

”Leave it to me!”

If you have never played or even heard of a Captain Tsubasa title before, you will be confused at first. This is no regular soccer game a la FIFA. It is in fact a blend between such typical soccer titles, which essentially consist of passing a ball around and shooting, and traditional RPG's.

Bear with me and I'll explain how these two distinct genres combine to make this title a totally unique experience.

Controlling players and making them move around are done the usual way. Keep pressing the directional buttons and guide the young lads along using the map to avoid opposing players as long as possible. And notice how only one player is shown on the screen –that player who has the ball– most of the time. See how brilliant his design is and how vivid he looks? Isn't the animation simply beautiful?

Once you need to perform an action, a single tap on the appropriate button will bring up a menu. Choose the given action by inputting the proper directions –each pertains to a specific one– and the player will proceed. Watch in stupor as the animation changes to that of the action…and cry in agony as a certain defender nevertheless blocks you or steals the ball.

Everything is done via this menu. Whether attacking, whether defending – be it a tackle, a shot, an interception, or a futile attempt at knocking the ball away from an aggressive center-forward.

But that's not all.

Remember, Captain Tsubasa is an anime. Such comics are most of the time zany, never aiming for realism. Tsubasa and his friends are no exception. They can hurt players with powerful tackles, send goalkeepers hurling with boisterous shots, and resort to combinations to fool their adversaries.

All this is done the same way. Choose the ‘Shoot' option, and a list of special techniques may appear. Select one if you wish and gape in awe at the stupendous animation that specific move beholds. Some players have an array of such possibilities – Tsubasa and Hyuga show this.

Hyuga's Tiger Shot will brush anybody aside. Tsubasa's Heel Dribble will allow him to turn around any obstacle.

I know what you are thinking – Wouldn't it be very easy to abuse these moves?

No.

Tecmo superbly got rid of this aspect by implementing the ‘Guts' system. ‘Guts' refers to the power of a player – in a traditional RPG such as Final Fantasy, it would amount to MP. Each player starts with a set amount of Guts, which increases as he gains levels. Levels are gained as you win matches. Each action uses up Guts. Normal moves will consume a relatively low amount of those, and specials eat up a lot.

The most powerful techniques will even completely drain all your power if your level is too low. This prevents you from relentlessly using these moves repeatedly. While you regain some Guts during the matches themselves and at half time, this will never make a player fit again if he was used too much when play began.

This makes Captain Tsubasa a very strategic game where you need to know when to use a certain player. You must also make sure your key players are always fit since they pretty much make all your attacking force. Because, let's face it, this limitation factor affects only you. While you will be busy saving your best shots for the final minutes, the CPU will not hesitate to assault you with an onslaught of shots and tackles.

This makes the game tough, or insanely hard if you don't know what you are doing. But give it some time, and you'll learn how to turn the opposing defenders into goofballs and how score even against Wakashimazu.

Tecmo stuck hard when they thought of this system; a golden blow!

Hi! My name is Hyuga, and I'm here to hurt you.

Tecmo's promise was kept – the game is a visual feast. Players look like their anime counterparts, and their traits are upheld. The pitch whizzing by as you run forth will make an impact on you. Nor will you ever forget the fluid animation kept throughout the whole game.

But then, it's time to use a special technique…

Yaaaaaaaaaa!!

And the true brilliance of the game strikes you. These moves' scenes are so wonderfully drawn you will never believe what you're seeing. Eventually, it will dawn upon you – Captain Tsubasa is the best-looking game on the Sega CD.

A damn realistic eagle appears behind long-haired Matsuyama when the latter executes his destructive Eagle Shot. Wakashimazu back-flipping on one of the posts is another delightful instant. You'll learn to love these scenes!

Music was never an issue in the franchise. This obscure release is no exception. Granted, it shamelessly takes the music from the other titles, but that is never a bad thing. Each noteworthy team has its own theme when the standard music is not playing. Toho's Burning Vigor is a terrific way of ending the game –imagine a music that literally seems to erupt and never ceases in its fast-paced stride. You've got the best music in the whole game, one that alone makes this game's soundtrack fantastic. The other themes are similarly of extraordinary quality –hum the beginning theme and get blown away by Musashi's (no, not Joe!) beat.

But this Sega CD gem has something else not found in the other Captain Tsubasa titles (except for the crappy ones produced by Bandai!): voice-acting. It's not the best voice-acting around, but it gets the job done. It's reinvigorating to hear your players during the intermissions. I would have liked to have more sound effects during the matches and hate how the voice-acting hasn't been kept during those, but I suppose I'm just nitpicking. Or maybe that would have been too hard to achieve.

Follow me!

Captain Tsubasa is an unearthed gem, a practically flawless game. My only gripe is its lack of replay value. There's nothing else to do once you've completed the game, and the hard difficulty may rebut players from going through this nightmare again. As it is, only hardcore fans will probably ever think of playing the game more than once. I'm aware it would have been impossible to give it a longer lifespan since the unique genre itself isn't one that can be easily expanded.

But don't let this fool you into thinking it is a short game. Actually, it is, but some teams are so resistant you will have to play against them twice or thrice until you can finally beat them. Many will be turned off by this – I find it challenging. The game is ultimately rewarding; it places focus on strategy and good knowledge of your own strengths and weakness. It makes you feel you've achieved something every time you manage to beat a team – it's a fantastic feeling, and the game definitely has one of the best atmospheres ever.

Thank you, Tecmo!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/10/06