## Story Mode I got **Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road** because I have two cousins who have absolutely been obsessed with the series since they were kids, and because I remember liking whatever I played of the original game on the [[Nintendo 3DS|3DS]] 15 years ago. I promised them I’d get it around…2022? This game’s been worked on since at least 2016, where it had an entirely different name, play-style, and set of systems it planned to be released on. Yes, you read that right: **Victory Road** has been in development for around *9 years* — more if you count pre-production I’m sure. You might read this and think “development hell,” but after digging into the game’s history, it’s quite the opposite. **Victory Road** has been an absolute labor of love for [[Level 5]], with the CEO himself, Akihiro Hino, directing its release. As you’ll soon see, the latest Inazuma Eleven didn’t take forever to come out because it was a mess: It came out because it’s one of the most content-heavy video games I’ve ever seen in my fucking life. But it finally released in November 2025. And then uh. Well, then this happened. ![[Inazuma Eleven - Victory Road-1763326230283.png]] --- **Inazuma Eleven** is a series of [[JRPG]] football[^1] games. And I *really* wanna emphasize the “JRPG” part of that phrase, because it is the core of the game’s experience. Other than passing the ball and running around, it is effectively a turn-based game. The goalie is your team’s “health-bar.” Each character has a series of moves that they can perform which tends to occur when two players on opposing teams engage each other on the field or against the goalkeeper. When that happens, you and the other player can pick different moves to determine who’ll steal the ball, with each move having an elemental affinity, MP cost, and strength value. Then you have equipment your team can use to alter stats, buffs and debuffs you can apply on either side of the field, and summons and installs. Yes, summons and installs. Did you wish this game was also Pokémon? I have good news, freak! There are dozens of ~~units~~ players you’ll be able to recruit to your team if you so choose, each of them needing to be persuaded in different ways, and all with different passives and ability boards to customize. It’s a lot to keep up with and describe, to the point where I’d encourage you to take a peek at the spectacle of it all instead:  The game’s a JRPG in its over-the-top styling as well. I dunno what these kids are eating, but it lets them fire off energy beams, teleport, shoot a ball with two other team members down the field like a rail cannon, conjure up whirlwinds and snow leopards, and more. And that is literally just the tip of the iceberg. The refs are *not* watching (unless you do a rush, then suddenly, you get a foul called on you). I bring all this up with particular detail because I can’t stress enough to you how little of a fuck I give about football. In fact, I generally actively dislike it, because it reminds me of my dumbass dad, lmao. But I am obsessed with this game’s systems. It’s so fun adjusting each team member’s gear and equipped moves to take on the teams you face, then crushing them — or better yet, having a really close match. I can’t remember the last time I’ve shouted in joy playing a game, let alone a JRPG of all things, but I’ve done that multiple times playing **Victory Road** after clutching out a tied game. Anyways, for the first nine hours I played **Victory Road's** story mode, I touched a football maybe three times. “What the fuck?” you may think. That sounds unhinged for a game that is ostensibly about a kid who wants to bring his high school’s football team to the top. I assure you dear readers: I loved every second of those nine hours. The first secret layer of the thick-aah onion that is **Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road** is that it’s *not* a Sports JRPG. It is in fact a Sports Anime that snuck into my Steam library in a trench coat. For those first 9 hours, at least 4 of them had to be animated cutscenes, all lovingly crafted by Studio MAPPA, which handles the actual **Inazuma Eleven** anime. It also includes *two* different Anime OPs with different themes, effectively representing a Season 1 and Season 2. I wasn’t bored for a second, because like all Sports Anime worth watching, the game is setting up stakes. You learn about protagonist Unmei’s struggles with his relationship to the sport, and how he reclaims it (hint: the power of friendship may be involved. Shock, I know!). And all of this is emphasized by the lovingly built small-town aesthetic that I’ve [[Youth O Youth|praised Level 5 for before]]. I promise the table-setting is worth the wait. Even the game feels this way, because it straight up [[Inazuma Eleven - Victory Road-1763331007953.png|warns you that you won’t be playing much football to start]]! Yeah, **Victory Road's** story isn’t going to blow your mind, but it's sincere in the way it's told. The whole plot is wrapped around ennui in a way that I found surprisingly relatable. What’s the point of doing anything if you’re the worst? Hell, what’s the point if you’re already the best? You might already know the answers to these questions, but it doesn’t hurt to have a reminder. > [!Check] Dustin or Unmei? Why not both! > I didn’t know where else to put this so I’m just leaving it here. The screenshot I posted above calls the protagonist Dustin, but I called him Unmei. The game actually lets you pick the localized names for all the characters, or the original Japanese names, along with access to the EN and JP dub. Just because! That’s cool as fuck. I’m at the last match of the game, so in total it’ll have taken me about 28~ hours total to finish. “Hang on,” you may interrupt, rudely, again. “That doesn’t seem like a lot. Why did you call this game ‘content-heavy’ Mint, you damn liar?” First of all, chill. Second of all, did you not notice that rather than writing today’s date, the header for this section says “Story Mode”? My friends. I’m not even close to being finished. Because after this I’m going to be playing Chronicle Mode. Which is a separate mode that includes every single **Inazuma Eleven** game that came out before **Victory Road**. Every match is playable, and every player, whether ally or foe, can then be recruited and added to your roster to create whatever team you want. Also, all of this is wrapped up in a meta-plot where you have to go back in time and find the 11 best players in the world to stop an alien apocalypse. No, I’m not joking. And before you ask, [of course it has an opening theme too](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsJghTTCVW4). So yes, I’ll be back to write even *more* about **Victory Road** after I spend some time in Chronicle Mode. And if my cousins can convince me, I might even jump into the PvP, which is the real star of the game for some super fans. Regardless, if any of what I just wrote even slightly interested you, this game should be in your cart already. I’m not usually one to put much stock to the dollars-to-hours ratio of a game, but I can assure you that you’re getting your money’s worth from the newest **Inazuma Eleven** at full price. [^1]: We call it football here, alright? I know Japan is ironically the only other place besides America that calls it Soccer. I don’t care. It’s football, and the English dub localizes it as such. I am not accepting comments on this matter.