Inazuma Eleven (Hands-On) (Nintendo DS) Preview

When booting up Pandora's Box, three options appear, the first taking you to the full game just purchased, the second granting access to special Layton puzzles only shown at TGS, and the third leading to the Inazuma Eleven demo, which begins by explaining how it is an RPG with a football theme that supports up to two players [Update: four players are supported in the 2011 European release]. Heading over to the demo's title screen a very Brazilian-style tune kicks in, complete with tapping drums, acoustic guitar work and football whistles. There are three options here, the first seemingly being a 'What is Inazuma Eleven?' guide, which takes you through a few slides of artwork and static in-game screenshots to explain what exactly can be done in terms of exploration and touch-screen football action, as well as the promise of a two-player wireless mode being available [Update: four players in the EU edition]. Once through the slides, it finishes with two links, the first taking you to the official game website and the other, presumably to a version of the site accessible on mobile phones, since it is the same address, but with /m/ after it and merely takes you to the normal site on a regular Internet browser.

Moving on, the two-player option did not work, as seemingly you need two copies of the game to partake in this demo multiplayer option...either that or my DS systems did not feel like talking to each other on the day! [Update: it has yet to be confirmed whether or not one or more DS cards will be required in the EU version] Whatever the case, choosing the second option takes you through to the main game, where you can choose to try out the adventure section or give the football side a whirl. Keen to see how the football mechanic works, that was the first port of call. Immediately there was a flash of cut-scene, before some introductory story dialogue and then it moved quickly on to the team selection screen. Being a simple demo, most of the options were blocked, but you could go through checking out each player's stats, as expected, switch positions round, change formations and so on and so forth.

Trying to get used to how the football element plays take a while, especially not knowing any Japanese, but basically you tap on the pitch where you want to player to kick the ball, whilst all the time drawing arrows from the off-the-ball players in order to make them run into the right positions. The pitch can be moved freely using the d-pad and tapping the ball when it is in mid-air near a player instigates a header or volley. It is definitely a 'light' take on the sport, but then again is not a full-on football game and has more options than you would expect in an RPG with football as a side-dish. Saying that, Konami could actually learn a lesson or two from this for its DS versions of Pro Evolution Soccer, since the off-the-ball tactical runs are very useful indeed. Tackling comes down to the statistics of you and your opponent with energy dwindling the more you challenge and play in general. This is all balanced out by special moves each player has in order to pull off fancy manoeuvres to avoid tackles, maintain possession or make timely interceptions.

Each time you get into a situation where a tackle is required, various options pop up, and if there are enough special points left in your player's bank, they should most definitely only be used when really necessary as running out completely leaves you stumped (presumably regenerative items will be featured in the full game, though, easing this issue considerably). Otherwise, go for the normal tackle and hope your player's statistics are strong enough to beat off the opponent. The special moves come into play when shooting and saving as well, and all are pretty spectacular from a graphical standpoint. The match music is rather like a typical RPG battle tune, yet perhaps not quite as intense, managing to keep that edge of steel drums, klaxons and whistles that give it a South American football vibe.

Rather than getting too caught up on that (when I scored my first goal, using a special combination move between two players, I was so elated I nearly dropped my DS!), time to move onto the RPG section. The scene is set as the FMV clip shows children running out of school as the clock chimes 5pm. Cue your main character, stood in an empty classroom and in sweeps the soundtrack, which gives off a peaceful, yet merry air of something from the Mana series with a mixture of synth instruments from xylophones and drums, to tambourines and strings, with even a couple of hand claps thrown in for good measure. Soon after, two characters come at the protagonist and mutter something unintelligible (remember that this is the Japanese edition!), complete with a rousing change in music for a moment (this seems to be the 'something achieved/obtained' tune often found in RPGs). The characters are all extremely small, but very cute in demeanour and appear as more detailed portraits when speaking to one another. Once alone and in control for the first time, using the d-pad for movement, experimenting with the buttons reveal that L and R rotate the camera to a certain degree and A is your action button, used to talk, interact with most objects around you and, as found out very quickly, open chests.

Emerging from the classroom and barging past some school-mates, your character looks out of the window to see an unruly bunch of people lurking outside (cue impressive hand-drawn, Miyazaki-esque cut-scene). After some talking, three characters join, literally following one-behind-the-other in a Dragon Quest fashion. Quizzing a nearby child, you are informed that there is something unusual about the cabinet in the corner of the corridor, which subsequently wobbles for good effect, and when checked out another member bursts out and joins forces with you. Time to head out...The game then treats you to a large batch of spoken dialogue (all perfect quality, crisp and clear, the same as in Professor Layton). As you wander around the world, an aerial view plan of the area is shown on the top-screen to aid with navigation and even guides your progress at times via directional prompts. Also, the touch-screen can be used to continue during conversations, despite not being utilised for direct character movement.

Then, eventually after exploration of the surroundings, it is on to the main match once more, which is preceded by some elements of background story. One last thing to note about the football side, before this hands-on finishes, is that there are indeed corners, throw-ins, fouls and even off sides. This is not a half-baked effort at all and includes all the proper rules! Something that could grow tiresome, however, is how you cannot, in the demo anyway, skip the super attack cut-scenes during a match. However, in all fairness, they are not that long, so this minor infraction can be overlooked and since the game plays so very well in just a small demo such as this, one can only hope the full game gets released as soon as possible and is announced for a Summer 2008 Western launch as well. [Update: the official European release date is now set as 28th January, 2011]