Tecmo Cup Football Game

Did You Know?

• A ROM of this game is available on the Internet despite never being released in cartridge form.
• A similar game was released a year before for the Nintendo Entertainment System under the title Tecmo Cup Soccer Game, also released in Europe as Tecmo Cup Football Game.
• Tecmo later released Captain Tsubasa for Mega-CD in Japan in 1994, which was nearly identical to this game.

Story

The game follows a young boy named Robert who dreams of winning the World Cup. He joins Dreams F.C. with his brother David and becomes captain and star player, leading the team to victory in the national tournament. Afterwards, an agent named Sylvia offers Robert the captaincy of a new all-star team called the Ours. The Ours play matches against other clubs and compete in a preliminary league; if they qualify, they enter the Tecmo Cup. The game features 30 playable characters, many of which are remodeled versions of one another with minor variations. Only key characters such as Robert, David, and Alfred have unique appearances.

Gameplay

Tecmo Cup Football Game is a radical departure from traditional soccer simulators, resembling an RPG more than anything. The player runs around the field normally, navigating via a miniature overhead view at the bottom of the screen, where the player is represented by their team number and the ball appears as a tiny football. When the player comes into contact with an opponent, a menu screen appears offering different options depending on whether the player has the ball. If in possession, the player can dribble, pass, perform a one-two, or shoot. If not in possession, the player can tackle, perform a passcut, block, or stay put. These moves can be performed at any time, not only upon contact. Player-specific variations exist, such as Robert's Gigadrive shot or Alfred's Kaiser tackle, which defy physics in a manner similar to Shaolin Soccer. Before each match, each player is assigned an amount of 'guts' proportional to their level. Every default move consumes a small amount of guts, while special abilities take a huge amount, rendering the player nearly useless after one or two uses. When low on guts, the player can only pass or run with the ball. Guts are partially replenished at half-time but do not regenerate when not controlling the player, unlike in Captain Tsubasa games. Commentary is provided by an orange parrot wearing a suit, who is heavily biased toward the player's team, crying if the team loses and celebrating when victorious. The game includes two modes, Kick Off and All Stars, as well as a Password option.