Review: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R [PS4, PS5]

In the fighting game genre, there are many titles with different themes, quirky characters and crazy attack abilities. Whether you like these slightly theatrical games or prefer those with a slightly more realistic style, you can’t deny that they easily grab your attention. More often than not, these slightly crazier fighting games go hand in hand with the world of anime and manga, and this is also the case with the intense JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R .

As mentioned, the game is inspired by the Japanese manga JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, a series that since its start in 1987 has come to include a whopping 131 comic books. This is quickly noticeable in the game as the range of characters, levels, and action reflect all of the series’ eight phases. In the game’s main mode, all battles have been divided into chapters, each focusing on the specific characters and events that took place in that phase of the manga. It helps the uninitiated to get a better grasp of the game’s plot, but at the same time a great deal of prior knowledge is expected to really understand what the characters are talking about.

But what is JoJo’s bizarre world about then? In conclusion, as in so many other stories, it can be boiled down to a battle between good and evil. The focus is on the Joestar family, a family where surprisingly many get a first name that starts with “Jo” (hence JoJo) but also a conflict with the evil Dio Brando and his descendants. Martial arts is another theme which manifests itself through various fighting techniques linked to the supernatural. The latter is of course very suitable for this genre of game and means that the large selection of characters has a lot of individual styles to come up with.

The game has a relatively wide range of modes to choose from for the genre. My favorite is the main mode I mentioned earlier, but in addition there are classic modes such as VS, arcade, training and more. Regardless of which modes you choose to play, most offer rewards if you complete your battles, regardless of win or loss. This is a nice touch that adds a bit of flavor, and while I personally might not be too keen on new gear, soundtracks or stills, it’s a nice way to fill out the game.

The game’s many fighters have different movement patterns and styles, but all are controlled largely the same way. It’s classic punches and kicks combined with unique moves and bombastic animations that make up a varied mix. It is relatively easy to control, but the layout also has a detail common to the genre that I personally dislike, namely when the character with many attacks stops in his walking movement. This leads to a ridiculous number of misjudgments of distance, an embarrassing number of punches straight into the air, and a slower pace of combat. In short, I want to be able to move and strike at the same time, or have more strikes that move me forward in the battle. Luckily there are quite a few characters with special attacks that reach beyond arm’s length which balances it out a bit.

Visually, the battles are a colorful feast that is made a little extra by the different characteristics the levels have. These are events that can occur if, for example, one of the players is hit or forced into a certain part of the court and usually ends in him taking a serious dose of damage. On paper, it might sound like an unbalanced way to gain an advantage over your opponent, but they have solved it all through a simple but clever scheme. When a player first enters the danger zone, an indicator pops up warning that the zone will become dangerous within a few seconds. These can look a little different, but are usually a small animated box or event in the background that is easy to notice. If you are fast and can turn the momentum of the match within the time limit, you can get out of the zone or maybe even.

Of the huge amount of fighting games that exist, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R may not stand out very much, especially not for those who are not in that particular universe. Even so, there’s still a lot of fun to be had, and for the series’ big fans, there’s all the more.