Popular anime franchises and arena fighting games go together like peanut butter and jelly. While we’re no longer getting a bunch each year, they’re still regular releases with series like Naruto, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen still active. While many of these wind up being merely good for fans of the franchise, occasionally we’ll get one that goes above and beyond, delivering some intense action that feels as epic as the television show itself. Thankfully for My Hero fans, My Hero Academia: All’s Justice falls into that latter category as it’s one of the most stylish and fun arena fighters in recent memory.
The core gameplay is largely the same as in previous games, as you use the superpowered heroes and villains’ special quirks to beat down foes and bash them into extended combos while using your teammates’ assist abilities. The special plus ultra attacks are more gorgeous than ever before, as the game really feels like a huge step up graphically from the previous One’s Justice titles. The biggest gameplay addition is a new rising mechanic, which allows you to enter an enhanced state for a limited amount of time once you fill a gauge. There are even special actions that are only available when using rising mode, so it can be a real game-changer when triggered at the right time.
Taking a page from My Hero Ultra Rumble, there’s even an open-world hub you can explore and take on “team up missions” within. While a lot of these naturally wind up turning into battles, this mode winds up offering some great character moments and occasionally smaller stakes (like helping rescue a child’s cat from a building). It’s pretty fun navigating the city and using different characters’ powers, although it’s not going to rival Insomniac’s Spider-Man games in terms of movement, and it is a really nice element of fan service, going above and beyond what is usually offered in these types of games.
There is also a traditional story mode, which has you jumping between different characters’ perspectives and reliving moments from the final season of the show. Featuring some nice cutscenes and all the key battles you’d want to see, this is an in-depth celebration of the show’s ending. The final fights feel as epic as you’d want them to, and this feels like a fitting conclusion to the series.
Beyond the two main modes, My Hero Academia: All’s Justice is also packed with an impressive amount of content. The roster size is pretty staggering, as there are 68 characters in total, with 19 of them being entirely new. There’s also an archives battle mode, which allows you to relive iconic fights from earlier in the franchise, plus a hero’s diary mode that dives into some of the U.A. students’ personal lives. There’s no shortage of things to do and customization items to unlock, and, of course, there’s also free battle and network play if you want to set up dream battles or test your skills.
My Hero Academia: All’s Justice Review: Final Verdict
It’s always great to see a franchise improve over time, and that’s what Byking has been able to do across three games. My Hero Academia: All’s Justice is a natural conclusion and satisfying improvement over My Hero One’s Justice 1 & 2. Featuring some gorgeous special attacks and plenty of content, anime fans will have a blast reliving the end of the beloved shonen series.
SCORE: 8.5/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a PlayStation 5 copy for our Terminator 2D: No Fate review. Reviewed on version 1.000.000.
