Bizarre indeed…

That might be one of the longest and hardest to remember titles in all of gaming. The latest fighting game from Bandai Namco is packed to the rim on all accounts. Characters, modes, options, and of course titles. For those not in the know, myself included, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is an anime that has been around a long time. Originally kicking off as a manga in the early 90s and getting anime adaptations ever since. Its popularity kicked back into gear in 2012 with a popular anime that ended up spawning the original All Star Battle Royale. Yes this new game is a remastered and upgraded version of the same game released a decade ago.

It is best to get this out there right out of the gate. This game is packed with characters. For anyone who has ever seen the anime knows this series is packed with unique and interesting characters. The original game hosted a whopping 41 characters and this update includes 10 more bringing the roster up to a massive 51 playable characters. Each one comes with their own stand as well which changes up the dynamics of the fighting. Playing each one feels unique and worth checking out. The outlandish move sets are absolutely, well bizarre. There is one lady that fires projectiles from her chest. Yeah this game is truly something else.

MSRP: $49.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $49.99

I am not familiar with the anime or the characters but from a quick Google search it seems nearly every main character from the universe is included, and even some of the lesser-known ones. This game is packed with fan service and even as someone who has no prior knowledge of the subject matter I enjoyed exploring all the characters, hearing their interactions, and learning their unique move sets. This game is packed with so much content it is hard to complain.

With so many characters it can be overwhelming trying to find the one that fit my play style. What I love about a lot of the anime fighters is that the mechanics are fairly similar and the way they are executed is different. For example most of the moves across characters are pretty much the same. What changes are the hit boxes and timing of the moves. This means learning one character mechanically will carry over to the rest of the cast with only their style needing to be learned. For someone like me who likes to use multiple characters this is great. There is depth here, but it won’t be in any tournaments anytime soon. This game is built for flash and style and sometimes that is perfectly fine.

What I really appreciate about the game though is its amount of offline content. I don’t play a lot online anymore so fighting games I love are usually devoid of content for me. While the story mode found in the original game is sadly omitted there is still a ton here. Arcade and versus modes as well as a tournament mode for plenty of offline madness. There is a glossary of things to explain the story, but it is still severely lacking explanation for those of us unfamiliar with the JoJo universe. I did enjoy the main mode called All Star Battle Mode. This features unique fights with varying modifiers that spice things up. It features infamous showdowns for those that know the lore. There is also a 3v3 mode ala King of Fighters. There is truly a ton here for solo players and that is always welcome.

For those wanting to hop online the option is available, but sadly anemic compared to the offline modes. The lack of a lot of the cool options found in single player is disappointing. Most matches consist of regular matchmaking and ranked bouts. The connection issues also persist. I ran into a lot of laggy matches that really dragged down the experience. The game also feels like a product of its time with options to set up favorite characters and getting into rooms more convoluted than it needs to be. The online experience is not something this game excels at, so if that is your jam this might be a pass.

Visually the game is stunning. Super moves are absolutely outlandish and screen filling acts of joy. I was constantly swapping characters to see how bizarre they truly were. It all blasts across my OLED with so much color and animation it is truly a sight to behold. The game is a visual treat constantly. It remains true to the anime with everything and at times almost too much to process. I love it and think it is one of the most eye-popping games ever released.

Fighting games are living in a resurgent time so it is awesome to see this game get a second lease on life. Having never played it, it was a pleasant surprise that is packed with a ton of solo content to keep me interested. This is all without having any attachment to the anime or characters themselves. It made me interested in the universe and I had a blast playing the game on all fronts. If you enjoy fighting games and maybe are not as deep into the FGC or tournament scene, this game packs plenty of options for casual and experienced players alike.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.