Developer: CyberConnect2
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R – Review
Back in 2014, we reviewed JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle, an interesting fighting game with many of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s cast members in the lead. The game proved to be highly entertaining, albeit mainly focused on fanservice. This was made clear because of the flashy visuals and the over-the-top atmosphere. Now, eight years later, we get the remastered version of that fighting game, with a massive character roster upgrade and improved mechanics. We only wonder if this game is truly worth revisiting if you already own the original. For this short review, we’ll mainly dive into the relevancy of this new release.
Let’s start off by saying that the game has an impressive roster of characters to choose from. You’ll be able to play as many iconic characters from basically all the different story arcs of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. This gives you a lot of characters to try out, and you’ll certainly find your pick of the litter. That being said, the game still has balancing issues, where some characters are clearly weaker than others. As this isn’t an extremely competitive online game, this is a flaw most gamers can probably live with, as this is clearly a title that is filled to the brim with fanservice. Sadly, we would have loved better online functionalities.
Aside from the balancing issues, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R is a fairly tactical fighting game. Even though the cast of characters could easily star in a very action-packing fighting game, All-Star Battle R is a very slow-brawling game. You’ll have to keep yourself occupied by making sure you don’t get trapped in a combo or get hit by a special move. These special moves eat away a big portion of your health, and thus you’ll have to remain careful. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you’re looking for a Marvel vs. Capcom-esque experience.
All-Star Battle R does add some new content to the mix, but it’s still heavily focused on offline play in which you’re just playing with different brawlers, completing a lot of battles from the actual series. This is certainly fun, but it also makes this rerelease a bit disappointing in some areas. We would have loved a bit better online support and a story mode that actually features meaty story portions. Don’t get us wrong, we still enjoyed playing this one, but for a fairly hyped rerelease, we would have loved a bit more meat on its bones.
Conclusion
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R is a very amusing fighting game with an amazing selection of iconic characters at your disposal. The game is certainly worth revisiting if you have already played the original (and liked it), and it is also worth checking out if you’re just a huge fan of the series. We would have loved it were the online options a bit more polished, but as a whole, this one’s an interesting fighting game. We do have to mention that, even with the flashy visuals, this is a fairly slow fighting game. If you’re looking for a fast-paced brawler, then this one might not be it.
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