Inazuma Eleven 2: Blizzard

Inazuma Eleven 2: Blizzard is a role-playing and football (soccer) hybrid game released for the Nintendo DS, developed by Level-5. It is the second entry in the Inazuma Eleven series and was released in Japan in 2009, arriving in Europe in 2011. The game came during a period when the Nintendo DS was still a dominant handheld platform, with its dual-screen setup and stylus controls being well-suited to the game's blend of menu-driven RPG exploration and touch-controlled football matches. The original Inazuma Eleven had established the core formula — combining a school sports story with supernatural football moves — and Blizzard expanded upon it with a new story arc, more recruitable players, and a broader world map to explore. The game is one of two versions of Inazuma Eleven 2, the other being Firestorm, with each version featuring a different set of exclusive players and a slightly different rival team focus, encouraging trading and communication between players. The narrative follows Endou Mamoru and the Raimon football club as they face a new threat in the form of a mysterious organisation called Aliea Academy, whose teams use alien-powered abilities to dominate opponents. Gameplay is split between two distinct modes. In the overworld, players navigate towns and locations using the D-pad or stylus, speak with NPCs to recruit new team members, manage their squad's formation and special moves, and progress the story. In match mode, the action shifts to a top-down football pitch rendered on the DS screens, where the player draws paths for their controlled character using the stylus, triggers special moves through touch commands, and attempts to outmanoeuvre and outscore the opposing team. Matches are not fully real-time simulations; instead, they blend turn-based and action elements, with the player taking direct control of one character at a time while teammates are guided by AI. Special moves — called Hissatsu techniques — are central to both offence and defence, consuming a shared TP (technique points) resource that must be managed carefully across a match. Players can learn new Hissatsu techniques by levelling up characters, finding them in the world, or through story progression. The game's structure is largely linear in its story beats but opens up considerably in terms of optional recruitment and training, rewarding players who explore thoroughly. On release, the game was praised for its accessible yet layered football mechanics, its large roster of recruitable characters, and its faithful adaptation of the anime and manga source material. The dual-version release model was a deliberate nod to the Pokémon format, and it proved effective in building a community around player exchange and version comparison. The Nintendo DS's local wireless functionality supported this social dimension, allowing players to battle each other's teams directly.