What we have, in this case, is a minor expansion of the already impressive range of its predecessors, which is well-structured and clear enough for most gamers to easily lose a number of hours. Add to that Capsule Machines in which you redeem tokens to try and unlock even more players, as well as multiple options for scouting via challenge matches and finding players, and there’s impressive depth on offer. Succeeding in battles will also boost your Prestige and Friendship points, which play a role in improving your player’s statistics and recruiting some players, respectively. There are items to recharge health (FP - Fitness Points) and TP (Technical Points), the latter of which are fundamentally important for executing special moves, which are pivotal for winning matches. Naturally, as an RPG, the world is littered with items and upgrades to find, win, buy and sell. The basics of running around the environment to checkpoints are obvious enough, but there’s an underlying eco-system that’s dizzying in scope. Although different in many ways, this title taps into a Pokémon vibe of complexity married with clarity and simplicity young gamers are likely, as always, to lap it up.

The storyline is almost, but not quite, as dense as the game and its mechanics.

That’s absolutely fine, however, and is an important part of the series’ charm. Various backstories of team members and the coach also swirl around, and like the bonkers special moves that defy nature the plot doesn’t always make sense. The crux is that the Japan side is qualifying and then trying to win the equivalent of a World Cup, though in typical style there are subplots and twists to retain interest, which naturally involve demons. This continues on from its predecessors in style and substance, though that isn’t exactly a major negative.įollowing on from the world-saving heroics of Inazuma Eleven 2, much of the storyline this time around is less fantastical, with the Raimon team actually making way for a national setup that incorporates some former foes. This is, to all intent and purposes, a DS title with a sprinkling of 3DS novelty some action footage briefly appears in 3D on the top screen, a StreetPass option is bolted in and the various animated cut-scenes and voice samples have clearer quality all superficial and adding little. To those that see the 3DS cartridge and expect a generational leap, understanding the context of the release is important. It’s the 3DS version of the original DS title that arrives, but on its own rather than as part of the trilogy set that graced Level-5’s homeland, and perhaps faces a tough challenge with the perception that, in theory, this should be a progression in the franchise. Localisation to Europe has been a slower burn, and unfortunately non-existent in North America, so the arrival of Inazuma Eleven 3, the third title in the ‘main’ series, is certainly welcome. The Inazuma Eleven football / soccer RPG franchise is a major success in Japan, so much so that spin-offs and new releases are - at a minimum - arriving on an annual basis.

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