Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters Dives Deep into the Gameplay System
The new trailer explains how matches unfold in the new Holly and Benji title
For generations of football fans, he has been a childhood myth, known primarily through the anime that was adapted in Italy as Holly & Benji: we are, of course, talking about the one and only Captain Tsubasa. Publisher Bandai Namco and developer Tamsoft Corporation have shared a new trailer for Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters, the new title dedicated to this work, to illustrate the tenets of the gameplay system.
The Shot
Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters takes the gameplay mechanics of its predecessor and refines them. At the heart of it all is always the shot: by charging the dedicated bar, its power is increased. Once a certain charge level is exceeded, a normal shot will transform into a devastating shot technique. To score, the shot must reduce the goalkeeper's stamina to zero: it goes without saying that the stronger the shot, the greater this reduction will be.
Dribbling and Tackles
Field players also have stamina, which is used, for example, to perform a dribble: by pressing a single button, a sequence will start that will allow the player to get past the defender. Dribbling, in turn, reduces stamina, but if performed with the right timing, less will be consumed. The defender, for their part, can counter by performing a tackle, which might allow them to recover the ball.
Special Moves
Players can also activate max actions, special dribbles and tackles that cannot lose against normal dribbles or tackles, but only against other max actions. Then there are super moves, divided by role: defenders perform super tackles, midfielders super dribbles or super passes, and attackers, of course, super shots. Furthermore, when opponents are successively beaten, multiple success is activated, a multiplier that significantly reduces the goalkeeper's stamina if a shot is taken.
Goalkeeper Tactics
But what do the poor goalkeepers do, apart from taking one cannon shot after another until their stamina drops to zero and the ball inevitably enters the net? Well, when a shot is fired, the attacker can impart one of six directions to the ball: if the goalkeeper guesses this direction, then the save will be easier and consume less stamina. Conversely, the goalkeeper who chooses the wrong side will pay the consequences and might even suffer a permanent reduction in stamina.
Miracle Actions
If all the arcade mechanics aimed at spectacularization that we have explained so far are not enough for you, know that there are also miracle actions. These are powerful moves involving the entire team, which can change the course of the match. However, their activation only occurs under specific conditions. Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters will be released in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.