Level-5 published new gameplay details and character art for Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road in a new post on its development blog. The company also confirmed plans to set up playable demos for the upcoming game at Tokyo Game Show 2023.
In the new blog post, Level-5 revealed some changes in Victory Road‘s gameplay system:
- Focus – Maneuvers in the midfield will no longer be a simple multiple-selection process. The decision-making will now involve actions with player skills, data strengths, and luck as additional factors.
- Zone – Activities in front of the goal are no longer limited to choosing which shot the character should use. They can now also opt to give a pass to another teammate.
- Scramble – When trying to gain control of an airborne ball, the game will now show markers for the player to press at the right time for decisions like keeping the ball or heading it toward another teammate.
- Tension Gauge – The gauge will now apply to the whole team instead of individual characters. Focus will fill up the gauge, while using techniques will consume it.
The company also explained how the Football Frontier tournament in Victory Road mode will work. It will regularly run a season every 2 or 3 months. Participants will first gather points by doing preliminary online matches during the period. The organizer will then invite top-ranked participants to join the finals tournament at a specified time.
Each team in Football Frontier can field up to five Eternal Players, with existing Seasonal Players occupying the remaining slots. Seasonal Players will randomly appear and become valid for three seasonal years as they grow up. Afterward, they will graduate and become Eternal Players. Notable key characters like Yuto Kido and Shirou Fubuki may also rarely spawn as Seasonal Players for some lucky people.
At the end of the post, Level-5 shared artworks for some of the new characters in Inazuma Eleven:Â Victory Road. They are Heita Kisoji, Raika Shinohara, Kameo Kodoukai, and a mysterious blonde boy who is apparently related to another existing character.
While almost every player from prior titles will return to form the 4,500-character roster, Level-5 will only include Keshin spirits for finisher technique presentations at launch. Other enhancements like Mixi Max and Keshin Armed are not considered at the moment.
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road will be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, iOS, and Android devices in 2023. Level-5 will publish a new trailer for the game on August 31, 2023.
