Inazuma Eleven Victory Road is perhaps the most feature-complete and content-rich entry in the series so far. It is no surprise that it took so long to release, but the wait feels completely worth it if you are a fan of the Inazuma franchise. For those who are not, and are simply looking for a casual soccer game with an anime style, this may not appeal to everyone.
Just booting up Inazuma Eleven Victory Road can feel overwhelming due to the sheer amount of content shown on the main menu. To start with, there are two separate story modes to play through, along with a Kizuna Station mode that lets players build their own town and social hub. The game also includes online multiplayer, allowing players to compete against each other. The developers continue to support the game after launch, treating it as a long-term experience that will keep receiving updates and new features. A recent update even added the option to replay the story mode in order to aim for a higher level.
I have never played any of the earlier Inazuma Eleven games, so I went into this one without any expectations as a fan. I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the gameplay and presentation. The game includes many animated cutscenes from animation studio MAPPA, used both for key story moments and for stylish cinematic sequences.
The main story mode takes place 25 years after the events of the original Inazuma Eleven. It follows a new main character, Destin Billows, who has a traumatic past that led him to stay away from soccer. Destin was once a star player, but due to a heart condition, he can no longer take part in the sport, which has left him bitter and frustrated. The story delivers plenty of emotional beats and focuses on personal drama, backed by a cast of memorable characters. It is a genuinely strong coming-of-age story, with soccer at its core. While Destin himself cannot play, he ends up forming a soccer team made up of unlikely recruits who are determined to restore their school club’s reputation.
The biggest issue with the story mode is how long it can sometimes take to reach meaningful gameplay. The opening hours are very slow and can feel grind-heavy, relying on repetitive tasks and minigames. Several minigames are introduced throughout the story, with the most notable being Focus Squabble. This mode plays like a turn-based system built around rock-paper-scissors-style mechanics. It is fun at first, but becomes repetitive over time. Fortunately, an auto battle option is available to handle these encounters.
For most of the story, the player spends time roaming around the school grounds and nearby town, recruiting players, taking on side quests, and playing soccer-themed minigames. The side quests are fairly thin and repetitive, mostly functioning as simple fetch tasks, and the rock-paper-scissors style game quickly became boring for me. While the mission structure itself is not very engaging, the game makes up for it with strong world-building, solid character development, and sleek presentation. As someone who is not a long-time fan of the Inazuma Eleven franchise, these elements were what kept me invested.
Moving on to the core gameplay, the soccer matches themselves are fun but can be confusing for newcomers. There are tutorials that cover the basics, but they do not fully explain the depth of the various systems and mechanics. On top of that, the overall design can feel flawed due to how repetitive the gameplay loop becomes. When everything clicks, the result is a great soccer game with stylish anime visuals. However, there are also many moments where matches slow down because the player is stuck repeating the same actions over and over.
As a soccer simulation, Inazuma Eleven offers a solid amount of customization, a wide variety of players, and RPG-style systems with over-the-top special moves. It is not easy to learn at first, but once you understand how everything works, it can be very enjoyable. The second story mode, called Chronicle, acts as a retelling of past Inazuma Eleven matches. It introduces Victorio, a boy from a future devastated by forces beyond human control. In this mode, players take control of teams and replay matches from across the series. There are hundreds of characters to unlock here, including many fan favorites.
The Chronicle mode revisits all the past Inazuma Eleven games and presents them using a visual novel style for its cinematics. Each match in this mode must be completed twice. The first time plays out by following the original events of the match, while the second run lets players use a custom team in a proper full match. There is also the Battle Bay Stadium, where fans can create their own dream matchups between different teams. Overall, there is a huge amount of content here, much of which requires hours of grinding to unlock, making this the ultimate Inazuma Eleven experience for long-time fans.
The soundtrack of Inazuma Eleven Victory Road rarely misses a beat. It complements the emotional story moments well and delivers strong music that fits a game built around flashy, over-the-top special moves. Even during exploration, the background tracks work nicely, offering a mix of warm and calm tones that enhance the overall presentation.
Looking at the performance of the Switch 2 version, it is quite impressive. The game runs at a stable 60 FPS on Switch 2, making it a great experience in portable mode. While the visuals are mostly clean, there are some occasional jagged edges, though they do not really take away from the overall quality. This is largely due to the art style, which holds up well and closely matches the look of the anime.
Inazuma Eleven Victory Road clearly feels designed with longtime fans in mind. Newcomers can still enjoy the game, but some story details may be lost on them, and the gameplay can feel overly complex at first. There are many moments during matches that require quick decision-making, and these systems are only properly understood over time through repeated play. The tutorial does not do a great job of explaining the deeper mechanics, which makes it feel poorly implemented at the moment. That said, the game shows strong long-term potential thanks to its clear focus on post-launch support.
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Game Information
- Price: $69.99
- Publisher: Level-5
- Developer: Level-5
- Platform: Switch 2 (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
