Inazuma Eleven
Encyclopedia
is a role-playing
and sports
video game for the Nintendo DS
developed and published by Level-5
. It was released on August 22, 2008 in Japan. A European release was confirmed by Nintendo and was released on January 29, 2011, three years after the Japanese release. The UK release was held back to 26th August 2011 for marketing reasons.
Since the game's launch, it has received two sequels for the Nintendo DS, including Inazuma Eleven 2 Kyoui no Shinryakusha
, as well as a spin-off for the Wii
. An Inazuma Eleven manga
based on the game began serialization in CoroCoro Comic
on May 15, 2008, while an anime
based on the game produced by OLM started airing on August 22, 2008. Mitsui
has also created a collectible card game
tie-in. The game served as the debut of a pop idol group, Twe'lv.
and the grandson of one of the strongest goalkeepers in Japan, who supposedly died before Mamoru was born. Even though his skills and enthusiasm are incredible, his school lacks a real soccer club, as the six other members don't appear very interested even in training. One day, when a mysterious forward named Gouenji (Axel Blaze in the European version) moves to Endou's town, the young goalkeeper sets out to find and recruit members for his soccer team. There are nearly 1000 playable characters with varying skills that will determine the success of the team. As you play through the story, Endou can recruit various characters on the team and help achieve his ultimate goal of competing!
gave the game a total score of 36 out of 40, with two reviewers giving it a 9 out of 10, one giving it a full 10, and another giving it an 8. The Dutch reviewer Gamer.nl gave the game a score of 8 out of 10, while the Spanish reviewers 3D Juegos, Vandal Online and VicioJuegos gave it scores of 8.0 out of 10, 8.2 out of 10, and 83 out of 100, respectively.
Fragland gave the game a score of 84%, praising its "original combat system, beautiful and cute graphics, good sound and a very tight and deep gameplay and finishing." Nintendo Life gave it 8 stars out of 10, concluding that it is a "refreshing take on" the RPG genre and that "the compelling storyline, overall charm and well-structured fantasy style football system" will create "an experience that RPG lovers will come to cherish."
It was the first best-selling game in Japan the week of its release at 41,000 copies. The game sold 29,000 copies its second week and 14,000 copies its third week.
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
and sports
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...
video game for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
developed and published by Level-5
Level-5
is an independent video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka, Japan. The company, which currently employs about 200 individuals, was founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino after he departed from the now defunct Japanese developer Riverhillsoft...
. It was released on August 22, 2008 in Japan. A European release was confirmed by Nintendo and was released on January 29, 2011, three years after the Japanese release. The UK release was held back to 26th August 2011 for marketing reasons.
Since the game's launch, it has received two sequels for the Nintendo DS, including Inazuma Eleven 2 Kyoui no Shinryakusha
Inazuma Eleven 2 Kyoui no Shinryakusha
is a role-playing and sports video game for the Nintendo DS developed and published by Level-5. It was released on October 1, 2009 in Japan.A direct sequel to the game titled Inazuma Eleven 3: Sekai e no Chousen has been announced for the Nintendo DS, as well as a console version of the game titled...
, as well as a spin-off for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. An Inazuma Eleven manga
Inazuma Eleven (manga)
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tenya Yabuno. It is based on the Level-5 video game series of the same title. The manga has been published by Shogakukan in CoroCoro Comic since the June 2008 issue...
based on the game began serialization in CoroCoro Comic
CoroCoro Comic
is a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, starting on May 15, 1977. Its main target is elementary school aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga...
on May 15, 2008, while an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
based on the game produced by OLM started airing on August 22, 2008. Mitsui
Mitsui
is one of the largest corporate conglomerates in Japan and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world.-History:Founded by Mitsui Takatoshi , who was the fourth son of a shopkeeper in Matsusaka, in what is now today's Mie prefecture...
has also created a collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
tie-in. The game served as the debut of a pop idol group, Twe'lv.
Plot
The main character, Endou Mamoru (Mark Evans in the European version), is a very talented goalkeeperGoalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, a goalkeeper is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by intercepting shots at goal...
and the grandson of one of the strongest goalkeepers in Japan, who supposedly died before Mamoru was born. Even though his skills and enthusiasm are incredible, his school lacks a real soccer club, as the six other members don't appear very interested even in training. One day, when a mysterious forward named Gouenji (Axel Blaze in the European version) moves to Endou's town, the young goalkeeper sets out to find and recruit members for his soccer team. There are nearly 1000 playable characters with varying skills that will determine the success of the team. As you play through the story, Endou can recruit various characters on the team and help achieve his ultimate goal of competing!
Gameplay
The game is split into two parts: one resembles an RPG, featuring various locations that Endou and his team have to explore in order to get new items, face several other players in short casual battles or to advance further in the story. The second part is the actual match: using the stylus, the player moves the soccer team around against the opposing team. The player can dodge opponent's attacks, slide-tackle to take the ball away, or use a special ability available to the characters they recruited to kick, steal and catch the ball. The result of any of his players actions are determined by seven skills, the player's affinity, and the total number of players participating in an action. Special abilities can not only be stopped with other abilities, meaning that they will most of the time win against basic tactics but not always. Super shots and Super keeps play simultaneously, which means that unlike defending the ball they always consume the Ability bar and at the beginning are determined by the player's affinity only.Reception
The game has received positive reviews, with an average aggregate score of 8.0 out of 10 at GameStats. The Japanese magazine FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
gave the game a total score of 36 out of 40, with two reviewers giving it a 9 out of 10, one giving it a full 10, and another giving it an 8. The Dutch reviewer Gamer.nl gave the game a score of 8 out of 10, while the Spanish reviewers 3D Juegos, Vandal Online and VicioJuegos gave it scores of 8.0 out of 10, 8.2 out of 10, and 83 out of 100, respectively.
Fragland gave the game a score of 84%, praising its "original combat system, beautiful and cute graphics, good sound and a very tight and deep gameplay and finishing." Nintendo Life gave it 8 stars out of 10, concluding that it is a "refreshing take on" the RPG genre and that "the compelling storyline, overall charm and well-structured fantasy style football system" will create "an experience that RPG lovers will come to cherish."
It was the first best-selling game in Japan the week of its release at 41,000 copies. The game sold 29,000 copies its second week and 14,000 copies its third week.