Developer: Byking
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Platform: Xbox One, PC, PS4, Switch
Tested on: PS4
My Hero One’s Justice – Review
Boku no Hero Academia is one of those anime series that appeared out of thin air, and that took the world by storm, or at least the world that is interested in anime. The series revolves around a world where nearly 80% of the population has special powers, which they use for the benefit of mankind, or for a hefty life of crime, and some simply don’t use their powers at all and live a normal live. This creates a world in which superheroes and villains are common practice, but it also creates a harsh environment for those who have no quirks and are forced to live a very normal and somewhat mundane life. This brings us to Izuku Midoriya, a boy that possesses no special powers, but still wants to make it as a superhero, which was pretty much an impossible task, until he met the greatest hero of all, All Might, who decided to make Izuku his successor by transferring his powers to the young boy.
Story
The game will throw you in the midst of the series where the young students are undergoing their training to become proper superheroes. Of course, things have been going south recently and the young talents are put to the test by fighting villains way out of their league, simply because evil is becoming more and more present in the world. It seems All Might’s biggest nemesis has surfaced again after a long silence, making the world seem like the villain was gone once and for all.
It has to be said that newcomers to the series won’t be brought up to speed completely, but they can still somewhat enjoy the story and know what to expect from the actual series. That being said, if you truly want to bring out the best of this game, it’s advised to watch the first season of the series. The story is mainly brought by dialogue from some of the characters, who will always give you a small introduction before a story mission and after you complete it.
Graphics
My Hero One’s Justice pretty much looks like every other anime fighting game that has appeared throughout the last few years. It’s clear that Namco Bandai always opts for nearly the same style for their anime based games, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The character models all look great and have a cel-shaded look, which is perfectly aligned with the source material. There may not be that many characters to choose from, but still all of them look spiffy. The 3D arenas all look decent enough, but the graphical prowess of everything around you is a lot less impressive than the characters and their special moves. Nonetheless, what makes this game impressive, is the fact that many portions of the terrain are destructible, making it cool to see the arena deteriorate as the fight drags on. While the actual damaged portions and the debris look a bit simplistic, it’s never disappointing to see everything crumble around you while you dish out one special move after another, while also taking a hefty amount of punches yourself.
Sound
The sound design of the game is pretty good, as the music is fairly upbeat, which gets you in the mood to beat some people in the face, albeit digitally. The voice acting is also done superbly and the story mode has a lot of it. The original cast makes an appearance in this title, making it an authentic Boku no Hero Academia experience.
Gameplay
My Hero One’s Justice is a fighting game with a fairly extensive story mode, grooming you to start dishing out punches locally or online. From start to finish you’ll find yourself in different 3D arenas, which allows for complete freedom of mobility and it also introduces partner mechanics, which resemble the partner moves from games such as Marvel vs Capcom. This means you can sometimes call in a friend to dish out a punch or two, which can be a lifesaver or keep your opponent at a certain distance. When starting the game, it’s fun to try out the story mode first, as it tells the story fairly decent, albeit from a part that’s like thirty episodes into the actual series.
The actual mechanics are pretty simple, and the game allows you to select a simplistic control scheme, or one that requires more input, but which also allows you to create your own combos, rather than always do the same ones. The special moves are easily executed, and while you can’t properly lock onto your opponent, you’ll notice that your moves will connect fairly easily, if you time them right. You can call in moves from your friends, perform special moves or just stick with good old fashioned normal moves, which are executed a lot faster than the rest.
You’ll have different modes in the game, ranging from the elaborate story mode to separate missions, offline battles, training and even online battles. You’ll have enough content to choose from; but of course, pretty much every mode is basically the same as it all revolves around the fighting aspect of the game, which will in turn earn you credits for the nice amount of customization options in the game.
People who are looking for something extra in terms of unlockables can rejoice as the game has a lot of costumes and other cosmetic upgrades on offer. While this doesn’t do anything in terms of stats, it’s fun to show off with some nice skins when playing online.
Conclusion
My Hero One’s Justice is a fun brawler that builds further on the anime. While it feels a bit like a missed opportunity that the beginning of the story was somewhat cut from this newly released game, the rest of the story is properly portrayed and the overall mechanics make the game a pleasant whole. If you add in great character design and a proper sound to back things up, along with an array of customization options, the fans are certainly in for a proper gaming experience honoring the source material.
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[…] Justice became an instant hit, with ratings that could quite fittingly blow us away (you can see our review here). On 13 March 2020, the sequel will hopefully do the same. This fighting game puts you into […]