Jump Force (Computer)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Release Date (NA): February 15, 2019
- Release Date (EU): February 15, 2019
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Developer: Spike Chunsoft
- Genres: Fighting
- Also For: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Game Features:
In typical manga fashion, Jump Force features baddies who, surprise surprise, want to dominate the world and then there are good guys who need to save the day. Yes, the writing feels too shallow, and I was expecting more from it since animes/mangas are known to do much better.
The bad guys here are known as Venoms, characters controlled by cube-like objects called umbras, which have a malicious aura that infect people and control them against their will. Orchestrating this are the game’s antagonists; Galena and Kane, those two characters are unique to the game and don’t come from any existing manga. Pairing up with various characters like Vegeta and Boruto of the Jump Force team, you, once a civilian now revived as a hero, will have to travel across the globe and deliver other famous characters from the grasp of the evil umbras and have them join your team. Afterwards you'll have several missions, which are basically random bland battles against Venoms and antagonists from other mangas, while the story progresses. At the end of each battle, your team will gain valuable experience points, level up, and unlock new moves and equipment.
During combat, you form teams of 3, which you can choose from a roster of 42 playable characters, who all share the same life counter and vary in their range of attacks and combos. Battles are a visual treat, especially the special moves where your custom character can effectuate famous moves from mangas, or even have actual characters perform their signature moves. However, the controls might need some getting used to, in order to handle regular moves, special moves, swapping with your battle buddy, conjuring different special attacks on top of having your battle buddy lend you a helping hand in some moves. But the battles do feel satisfying once you get the hang of the controls, allowing you to perform some cool finishes. You can also partake in online battles and events to hone your skills against other players, but there's not much to say about them.
While a large part of the issues is due to the bland plot and shallow writing, the artstyle is also to be blamed. Given the whole collision of universe thing, Spike Chunsoft opted for a more “realistic” art direction with Jump Force to, and I quote, “bring Manga characters to life like never before". While this can work with other games, for manga characters and their setting it just feels odd, especially given the cel-shaded style we have seen in similar games and which worked so well. The graphics are divisive at best, with even the new Berserk’s CGI looking better (sometimes). The characters feel lifeless, plastic-y and way too shiny, sort of a rip-off action figure, in particular during the cutscenes or conversations where their weirdly animated mouths don’t quite sync with the voice and it all just feels even more uncanny.
The issue does not only lie with the character’s renders. Battle grounds are varied but mostly empty with no interactive elements save for your foes. Wandering through the Jump Force HQ replicates the feeling of visiting a mall on a Sunday night at 10pm; empty, uninteresting and eerily quiet. Playing online will allow you to see the avatars other online players and somewhat populate the HQ but it mostly means seeing them amassed around the Mission Counter trying to complete missions. While the environments look visually nicer than the plastic characters, they aren’t without issues.
Playing side by side with some of the most famous anime characters should feel like a blast, but it never really delivered. Despite its impressive roster of characters and interesting premise, Jump Force somehow still managed to miss a great opportunity with a shallow plot and a questionable artstyle. However, the core of it, the battles, are quite redeeming but cannot mask the other glaring issues.
Jump Force Launch Trailer
Verdict
- Large roster of famous manga characters
- Satisfying combat and finishers
- Artstyle
- Bland writing and plot
- Empty environments
- Weird animations