While the big names are certainly a big get for Jump Force, there are also some unexpected additions like the aforementioned City Hunter protagonist and Dai from the Dragon Quest manga. Most of the early story missions revolve around meeting the various members of the roster. Even evil celestial beings like Naruto‘s Kaguya Otsutsuki aren’t spared from Saeba trying to get some action during a cataclysmic event. The lone exception comes in the form of City Hunter‘s Ryo Saeba, whose penchant for hitting on any beautiful woman is played up for some cheap, yet enjoyable, laughs. Instead, we’re treated to extremely wooden exchanges (both in terms of animation and writing) that aren’t enjoyable in the slightest. This interplay between protagonists should result in constant highlights as personalities and fighting styles clash. Luffy and Goku interact for crying out loud. Getting to see iconic and beloved manga characters interact with one another should be the ultimate treat for fans. While the unsatisfying combat is certainly a bummer, Jump Force‘s terrible story mode is even more of a disappointment. Jump Force Review | The stallion of Shinjuku steals the spotlight It doesn’t help that the artificial intelligence isn’t enjoyable to play against as aggressive play is often quickly countered, so it’s best to play in a more boring, conservative style in order to avoid the lengthy load times that take place in between battle attempts. Simplicity can work in these type of titles, one just has to look at CyberConnect2’s excellent Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm series for an example, but this engine lacks a solid base that makes the player want to come back for more. Every character has four special moves, but otherwise feel far too similar to one another. Even with some high/low variations, the core of combat revolves around getting the opponent stuck in a combo attack that’s triggered by simply pressing the attack button repeatedly.

If there’s a downside to making the fights mano a mano, it’s that Jump Force‘s combat lacks the necessary depth and enjoyability of a proper fighting title. The entire team also shares a health bar, which makes changing fighters more of a strategical maneuver than a standard part of gameplay. This allows the combat to feel more focused, as dealing with multiple enemies often felt like a chore. Battles are now three-on-three, although only one fighter is actively on the field during the bulk of the battle. The core setup is similar to the 45th-anniversary celebration, 2014’s J-Stars Victory VS, but with some important changes. However, that sadly isn’t the case as instead of relishing in fan service, the end result feels more like fan punishment due to it becoming an exercise in redundancy. Similar to past crossover titles, this 3D fighting game should be an otaku’s dream come true as it features everyone from Dragon Ball Z to Naruto and One Piece. Developed in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Weekly Shonen Jump, Jump Force features many of the most popular manga characters to ever exist.

Shonen jump force review