Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters Review – Sophomore Slump

In a genre that has been dominated by simulation games striving for realism, 2020’s Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions felt like a welcome break from monotony with its high octane, gleefully ridiculous on-pitch action, even with notable flaws and rough edges. Six years later, Bandai Namco and developer Tamsoft have returned for a sequel- with largely similar results.

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters makes some changes here and there, with some notable gameplay improvements making for more enjoyable on-pitch action, but at the same time, suffers from much of the flaws as its predecessor, and in frustratingly similar ways. The end result? An arcade-y football game that is undeniably fun (if somewhat repetitive)- other than when it’s getting in its own way, which Captain Tsubasa 2 does often.

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“The end result? An arcade-y football game that is undeniably fun (if somewhat repetitive)- other than when it’s getting in its own way”

The game’s main draw is its story mode, which sees players stepping into the shoes of a custom avatar character as you follow along with a story based on the Captain Tsubasa manga’s World Youth arc, which begins with Tsubasa looking to secure a foothold as a pro in Brazilian football. Several new characters are introduced, while plenty from the first game return as well- though much like the first game, the story mode’s insistence on focusing on the narrative aspects ends up being one of its biggest flaws for multiple reasons.

But let’s focus on the good stuff first, that being the on-pitch action itself. When Captain Tsubasa 2 allows you to take to the field, that’s when it is really at its absolute best. Its charmingly over the top brand of football gameplay is unlike anything else out there, and combines flare and mechanics in a compelling concoction. It eschews even basics of football realism that would have you worrying over tactics and figuring out the best moments for a tackle, or that the perfect through ball, or that one cross that breaks the opposing defense. Instead, it places all of its focus on high octane, offensive action, where your goal is to keep dribbling past opponents, winning the ball back as quickly as you lose it, and assaulting opposing goalkeepers with endless barrages of shots.

“Several improvements to the on-field mechanics also improve the action over the first game”

There’s something immensely and immediately fun about pulling off the perfect dribble past an incoming foe, or snatching the ball away from an attacker that’s about to let loose on your goal, or, of course, pulling off a successful shot that finds its way into the opposing team’s net. Mechanics such as Max Actions and Super Moves also add mechanical layers, while also adding to the over the top moment to moment feel of the gameplay. Several improvements to the on-field mechanics also improve the action over the first game, chief among them being in the goalkeeping department, with goalkeeping actions now requiring quick, reflexive, direction-based actions that determine how effectively you can block an incoming shot.

While Captain Tsubasa 2’s on-pitch action can be a bit frustrating at times in how even otherwise ordinary actions like passing and crossing don’t translate very well to the gameplay here, once you get used to its own unique rhythm and approach to football gameplay – and it definitely can take some getting used to, especially if you didn’t play the first Captain Tsubasa game – you’ll find that there’s plenty of fun to be had in the adrenaline fueled, action packed, insanity-embracing on-field antics on offer here.

At the same time, Captain Tsubasa 2 lacks the mechanical depth and nuance that it needs to stave off repetition. This was an issue with the first game as well, and it seems developer Tamsoft hasn’t found appropriate ways to address it, because Captain Tsubasa 2 is, much like its predecessor, not a very mechanically deep game. As fun as it is when you’re on the pitch, its skill ceiling remains relatively low, which means that given its lack of mechanical depth, it doesn’t take long for repetition to set in. For instance, as fun and varied the super dramatic minicutscenes for various on-pitch actions are, you can only see them so many times before they lose their charm.

The other big issue is that Captain Tsubasa 2 doesn’t seem to realize that its on-field gameplay is by far its biggest strength. When you’re in story mode, the game has a frustrating habit of keeping you away from the actual good stuff- it insists on hitting you with endless strings of awkward, stilted, poorly written cutscenes, conversations, and what have you. A lot of the optional stuff feels vapid and meaningless, and it feels like you have to make your way through endless story sequences before each match. If the game actually had a good, compelling story, this would be way less of an issue, but Captain Tsubasa 2 is held back by poor writing and characters that are difficult to care for, which only makes things worse.

“Captain Tsubasa 2 doesn’t seem to realize that its on-field gameplay is by far its biggest strength.”

Hell, even when you’re in the middle of a match, Captain Tsubasa 2 finds ways to get in its own way. Often, the game will interrupt the action with overly long stilted narrative scenes and never-ending sequences of dialogue. More than a few times, I found myself going through endless sequences in the middle of an ongoing match and wondering if everyone in the scene had simply forgotten that there was a game going on. All of these were among the first game’s biggest issues as well, so it’s honestly surprising and disappointing to see Captain Tsubasa 2 sticking with its predecessor’s worst tendencies- almost to the point of making those flaws feel even more frustrating.

Outside of the story mode, sadly, Captain Tsubasa 2 doesn’t have much else on offer. There’s a training mode that has a series of tutorials and lessons for players to go through, as well as a vs mode that lets you play against the CPU, or against other players online in regular or private matches- and that’s about it. Frankly, the lack of even basic options available as far as modes and different ways to play is a little surprising to see. You’d expect a football game to at least offer a few tournament options, if nothing else, but no such options are to be found here. Captain Tsubasa 2 surely does tout a greater number of teams and players than its predecessors, yes, but that only makes its barebones content offerings in terms of modes or gameplay options that much more baffling- why not use what’s already on offer to let players enjoy the game and its mechanics in different ways? Hopefully, Tamsoft and Bandai Namco will add to the game with post launch offerings.

Visually and from a technical perspective, Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters is a solid game. The anime aesthetic is as strong as it was in the first game, and from a presentation perspective, the game does an excellent job of bringing the bonkers and gleefully outrageous football setting of the Captain Tsubasa universe to life with its flashy on-pitch gameplay, animations, and cutscenes. There is still some room for improvement though, especially with stadiums looking fairly dead, static, and devoid of the sort of electric atmosphere you would expect from a live football match.

Captain Tsubasa 2 is, overall, an uneven sequel. On one hand, it does offer solid, enjoyable on-pitch football gameplay, and improves on the bombastic, high octane offerings of its predecessor in some minor yet notable ways. At the same time, it’s a game that just keeps getting in its own way, whether that is with its excessive focus on a thoroughly unenjoyable story and set of characters, or with its dearth of content offerings outside of an inconsistent story mode.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.