- My Hero Academia is one of
the best Shōnen anime currently airing,
and it deserves a great video game
that lives up to that reputation.
While My Hero One's Justice
unfortunately doesn't hit that high bar,
it does a good job of adapting
the action and spectacle of the anime
into fighting game form.
The gorgeous visuals and a flashy one-on-one combat system
make it seem like fan's dream fighting game.
But the shiny exterior hides
a fairly simplistic foundation.
And once the spectacle of the action wears off,
My Hero One's Justice feels less like All-Might,
and more like...
just alright.
(wind rushing loudly)
(punch impacts) (gong crash)
- My Hero One's Justice is a 3D arena fighter
with an approachable combat system,
that could be best explained
as an appropriately quirky version
of rock-paper-scissors.
You have three main options
when it comes to attacking up-close.
Normal attacks,
counter-attacks,
and unblockable attacks.
Normals are fast enough to interrupt and beat unblockables,
counters absorb normal attacks
before delivering their own powerful strike,
and unblockables crush through counters.
And then there are the literal quirks,
the unique powers that break the rock-paper-scissors mold.
This is where My Hero One's Justice shines.
Each character's quirks are very fun to use
and give them their own unique fighting style.
Todoroki's quirk allows him to bombard opponents
with fire and ice from a distance.
Aizawa can seal off his opponent's quirks,
while Kirishima's gives him a super armor buff.
It's all very true to the show making characters play
exactly like you think they would.
But eventually the shallowness
of the combat begins to show-through.
In the default normal combat mode,
combos are executed simply by mashing one button.
If you want to truly explore what the combo system can do,
you can switch the mode to manual and find your own combos.
The problem is that auto-combos for many characters
are already so strong,
there's little incentive to learn manual combos.
Two assist characters can be called in for added utility,
and there's also some great environmental destruction,
that includes a hilarious mechanic
of planting your opponent face-first into the wall,
which then allows you to get in some free hits.
It's a fun touch that rewards environmental awareness.
(blows landing)
(Tenya yells in pain)
- [All-Might] Let's Story!
(wind gusting)
(loud shockwave)
- The story mode of One's Justice picks up about mid-way
through season two of the anime,
and ends around the middle of season three,
making it hard to tell who it's for.
Each chapter essentially serves as a super abridged
retelling of the anime told with a combination
of screen-grabs from the show
and slightly anime'd in-game character models.
It doesn't offer anything new for fans,
and leaves newcomers completely in the dark.
It's best moments are a small handful
of big anime scenes brought to life in-engine.
Which mostly just gave me a glimpse
of what this story mode could have been
if there were more of these.
(energy charging)
(heavy impact)
(Stain groans in pain)
And less of these.
- Mission mode on the other hand,
actually provides a much more enjoyable
single-player experience.
There are a total of six maps to complete
each with their own set of challenges.
As you complete challenges,
your characters level up, increasing their stats
and making them better equipped to handle tougher missions.
Mission mode provides the challenge
that's sorely missing from the other modes,
as your health carries over from mission to mission.
Though, items can be used to restore health
at the cost of your score at the end.
Beyond that, there's a traditional arcade mode
and online modes,
though the servers were barren at the time of this review,
so I haven't been able to test them out.
Sadly, there's no character creation feature
in One's Justice which feels like a huge missed opportunity.
You can customize fighters with cosmetic items
from other My Hero Academia characters,
including a couple of funny unique items involving Mineta.
But, they often end up looking
like they just fell into a
My Hero Academia themed prop-box.
(flames firing)
(sword slashing) (ice cracking and shattering)
- There's definitely fun to be had with
My Hero One's Justice.
It's super easy to pick up and play,
the action is fast and beautiful to look at,
and it does a great job of adapting
the quirks and abilities from the anime
to a 3D arena fighter.
That fun, eventually starts to fade away
due to it's ultimately shallow combat
and weak story mode,
but overall,
it's not bad for it's endeavor.
(intense rock music)
For more on My Hero One's Justice,
check out the first minutes of the story mode,
as well as Todoroki's arcade mode.
Thanks for watching!
For everything else,
keep it here, on IGN.