There are manga that have made history, or are still making it: let's talk about One Piece, but also of products such as Naruto, Fist of the Warrior and so on, serial manga that have defined generations. However, they are all good at dedicating themselves to one generation: it is certainly more difficult to dedicate themselves to several generations, with an output span that starts in 1987 and continues today. When the anthological works were still embryonic, and when proposing alternative worlds was a utopia, while the manga that accompanied us for a period of time of our life were coming out, the work of Hirohiko araki it remains there, undeterred, imperishable. Let's talk about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, a series that arrived in Spain in 1993 and continues to be released today, published by Star Comics. But today in this one review we are not talking about the manga, but about the game JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R, dedicated to the brand, which returns after its release on PlayStation 3 re-adapted, updated and improved, on all platforms.
While it may be obvious, in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure the various characters show off fantastic moves in rich combat. twists: for this reason the game lends itself perfectly to being a fighting game. This JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R differs from the 2013 version in many respects, but basically keeps the gameplay unchanged.
A bizarre fighting game
Let's start with the basics: JoJo's Bizzarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R is a three-dimensional fighting game which uses a very marked cartoon style - as happens in the other works dedicated to JoJo - and offers 1vs1 challenges among many characters on the roster. There are 50 characters, from all the narrative arcs of the series, from the first to the last.
The game uses a attack system based on three buttons, while the fourth lends itself to doing what is called Stylish Dodge, which serves to dodge blows (and which if used with the right timing will leave the opponent uncovered). The game system then uses commands dedicated to each character for the moves, and offers the Easy Beat function that allows you to do it automatically - in case there is at least one HH Gauge - a special move after the combo (although you can deactivate it once you have learned the combat system).
Each character then presents a sort of style: divided into four categories, these are mainly the skills of the various characters over the course of the series, starting with concentric waves and Exhibition booth, to pass to real combat mode and the most recent ones mount by Steel Ball Run and JoJolion. For those who finally came from the previous game, in this new version there will be some assists (of a character that you choose during the roster screen), there will be the possibility of making a small jump with a click that can catch the opponent unprepared, and of course you can have all the quality of 60 FPS (on all consoles except Switch).
Closer to Street Fighter than Tekken, this fighting game has a unique style even in the controls: learning them will be difficult in the first battles, but over time you will begin to understand the times and game mechanics, to the point that JoJo's Bizzarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R will no longer be so difficult, but rather that all the style that the game possesses - inherited from the main series - will become a plus that you can take advantage of during your fights. If you are a die-hard fan and have seen the anime completely in Japanese, you will finally be happy to know that there has been a new voice acting by the original voices, which now improve the immersion and make the various game scenes and the various phrases that the fighters shout more accurate.
Narrative arcs
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R will offer various game modes: putting aside the classic Versus (present 1vs1, 3vs3 and tournament) e Online (classified and unclassified), the title will also have a modality Arcade it's a All-Star Battle Mode.
Speaking of the first, in this mode you will have to fight against 8 opponents (in case you choose the Challenge Battle) or you can lend yourself to a survival mode, where you will lose once your life is over, in the Endless Battle. But what will surely tickle longtime fans is the All-Star Battle Mode: in this mode you can relive various iconic battles of the series, scattered throughout the 8 story arcs. There are also alternate battles, which will allow you to explore "what would have happened if" and even see characters from different sagas interact.
Finally, there is also the training mode, which will allow you to learn how to use your characters, and the Customize Mode, which will allow you to change provocations, poses of victory and many other details. As we said, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R proposes characters from the 8 narrative arcs of the series, starting with Phantom Blood, passing through Vento Aureo and Stone Ocean, and arriving at the two “reboot” series Steel Ball Run and JoJolion. If the base game of yours already had 40 characters, this version has 10 more: these are Robert EO Speedwagon, Mariah, Pet Shop, Jotaro Kujo (from Diamond is Unbreakable), Yukako Yamagishi, Trish Una, Ham & Fish, Ice, FF and Diego Brando.
To accompany the battles, finally, a dozen arenas taken from the various chapters, all well characterized and with some dynamic action implemented. Perhaps the addition of additional arenas, in the future, could diversify that trait that has remained unchanged: in fact, remember that the game includes a Season Pass DLC, which for now includes 4 characters but which may have other additions in the future.
Review
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R (Tested on PS5) 9 Final grade
A fighting game that every fan of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure must have at home, possibly for fixed consoles or PC (given the 60 FPS): this new version features many technical improvements, ten new characters and the promise of the developers to continue support in the long run period, with new characters on the way. The barrier of entry due to difficulty makes the game a little more complex than normal fighting games (at least at the beginning), but once you understand the mechanics, clapping your hands in the bizarre world invented by Araki is something satisfying. In short, if you like fighting games give it a chance, but if you live your life showing JoJo-pose every 10 meters and quoting every sentence of the manga by heart, then it's time for you to get back on the pitch.
