My Hero One’s Justice is the first video game release in the West based upon the hugely popular My Hero Academia franchise. This is the second video game to adapt the events of the series after a Japan-only release on Nintendo 3DS. My Hero One’s Justice brings the colourful world of the show to an exhilarating and competitive anime-styled fighting game. Developer Byking has recreated and ultimately captured the magic that has made the series so popular.
Newcomers to the series may feel a little left out as the game takes place further into the story than you might expect. Of course, the game is still very accessible but note that the Story Mode and characters are from the second half of the second anime series onward. For current fans, this is great as the games Story Mode covers several highlights from the second and third series. The Story Mode itself is rather lengthy and sees the player through around 82 different stages of battles and cutscenes.
The story is further broken down into the Hero route and Villain route. Essentially, once the story is complete, the villain side is unlocked. The story then repeats but from the villain’s perspective. A somewhat cheap tactic employed in these types of games but with My Hero One’s Justice, it actually adds a level of depth to the villain characters that we’d otherwise not have seen. Once both sides are complete a small selection of extra battles are unlocked that takes place before the events of the game’s story.
Story Mode allows players to get to grips with each character and get a taste of their play style before venturing into the other modes. It may take a little getting used to the style of fighting on offer here as, to begin with, it feels slow and clunky. The fighting soon amps up though once you’re familiar with the mechanics. Stages can feel small at first as you clumsily smash through the environment, but it really opens up when you take the fight into the air. My Hero One’s Justice really makes use of every inch of each stage and the fights feel so much more intense because of it.
No fighting game is complete without an interesting roster of fighters. While I wish there was a little more to choose from, as the series features an endless amount of prominent characters, this probably is the best selection. With up to 23 characters, including DLC, it’s not a tiny roster by any means and should satisfy even the most hardcore of fans. Only one character is locked upon starting the game but can be unlocked by completing the story.
There’s also the classic Arcade, Local Modes and Mission Mode to keep you busy. Mission Mode allows you to pick a team of characters, who’ll level up as you progress, with which you fight through many battles with varying stipulations. Each map will see you make your way from the start to the finish in any way you can, employing various items you earn along the way. It’s a fun but challenging mode that helps give the game a unique feel and adds to the already wealthy amount of modes to play.
As you play through each of the many modes on offer, you’ll amass customisation items that can pimp out your own personal profile and the characters. It’s a fun addition to the game that allows players to customise any character to their liking with a rather massive variety of items.
Thankfully, the game does not rely on its online offering as its key selling point. That’s not to say it’s bad, far from it, the online functionality works. It’s fast, reliable and connecting with other players is a simple and streamlined process. The problem, however, lies within the difficulty spike. Most of the game is fairly easy once you have gotten used to it but when you venture online, it’s suddenly clear the game has babied you. In short, the online is brutal, and you’d better have the skills to back you up even in unranked matches.
Verdict
My Hero One’s Justice continues to impress the further you dive into it. It’s filled to the brim with content that’ll keep you occupied for hours on end and that’s not even including the online mode. Not to mention that the game just works and works well. Online is simple and streamlined, the gameplay is exhilarating and the visuals are stunning. My Hero One’s Justice is well worth the entry price and more!
Review copy provided by Bandai Namco Entertainment