Level-5 Inc., the creators of popular Japanese game franchises like Professor Layton, Ni No Kuni, and Yo-Kai Watch (as well as the co-developers of Dragon Quest VIII and IX), just announced that it is bringing its Inazuma Eleven franchise to Xbox consoles for the very first time ever with Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road.
This announcement was made during a special showcase stream, which provided an overview of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road's gameplay, story, and the release date of August 21, 2025.
For the uninitiated, Inazuma Eleven is a soccer video game series with RPG elements that was created in 2008 and has since spawned a big multimedia franchise consisting of video games and manga as well as anime TV shows and movies.
Unlike other soccer videogames like FIFA or EA Sports FC, which are firmly grounded in reality, Inazuma Eleven is an over-the-top, romanticized, cartoony take on soccer where characters practically use superpowers to achieve victory. Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road will be no different.
Players can engage in soccer matches in its single-player Story Mode and Chronicle Modes or its online-multiplayer Competition Mode.
The Story Mode follows the tale of Destin Billows, a young high-school student on a quest to help his soccer team become the best team in Japan.
This mode will have you take part in various mini-games and bonding sessions with classmates to see which ones are worth recruiting to your team. It promises an epic sports story filled with laughs, tears, and action.
Chronicle Mode has players relive classic matches and moments from the whole Inazuma Eleven franchise with the aid of Victorio, the time traveler.
Players can take special challenges and recruit over 5,200 characters to form the ultimate Inazuma Eleven dream team.
Inazuma Eleven will feature new 'Manual Mode' and 'Commander Modes' for players to use during matches.
Manuel Mode lets players directly control one character at a time like a regular soccer video game.
Commander Mode, meanwhile, has the AI control the characters while you provide support and strategic formations for your team.
In between matches, players can visit the Bond Town mode to create a personal avatar and interact with other players online.
You can even team up with other players to take part in special 2-player tag matches.
Xbox scores yet another popular RPG franchise
As someone who hasn't seen this franchise until today, this upcoming Xbox game looks absolutely crazy.
While I'm personally not a fan of soccer (wrestling games like WWE 2 K25 are more my speed), I can see why Inazuma Eleven has endured for over a decade, as its production values are top-notch and the over-the-top super moves are a joy to watch.
If you're a fan of sports anime and soccer, I'd recommend keeping an eye on Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road when it launches on August 21, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.
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