Title: Jump Force

Platform: PC [reviewed], PS4, Xbox One
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Release: February 15, 2019
Price: $59.99

I know a lot of people were freaking out over Jump Force for a number of reasons. As fighting game fans we loved the little that we experienced at E3 last year, and as anime fans we were excited about the dream matches we could make happen with the roster.

In the grand scale of things Jump Stars isn’t anything new. The J-Stars series has been going strong since the days of the Nintendo DS in Japan. Fans have known about it but with so many properties having their rights held by different companies in the United States, we figured the games would never see release over here; that DS game is still the only title I have ever imported.

Everything we saw of the game up to its release was meant to illicit nostalgia and the feeling of “what if?” that many of us have had while watching our favorite animes. The idea of pitting Goku against Naruto, Luffy against Kenshiro and so on, is probably enough to get people to slap down the $60 price tag; it sure was in my case.

Jump Force is a celebration of Shoen Jump in the best possible way. You get access to 42 playable characters to pit against each other in matches of 3-on-3 battles. But this isn’t a straight up fighting game like you might expect. The game uses a convoluted story as a base to try and give it some legs.

This means you don’t simply select a team like you would in the Marvel vs Capcom series and work your way up though a ladder until you reach a final boss, then unlock an ending based on your teams leader. Instead, you build a character (an avatar really) and select one of three fighting types/styles.

You can go with Dragon Ball Z that is considered a martial arts style, Naruto which is all ninja like speedy stuff, and One Piece that is a, well, pirate style. That’s really all there is to the story from there on out, which sure feels pretty lame. It’s not a game killer, but with with fighting games placing a lot more focus on solid storytelling, Jump Forcereally feels like its story is simply a means to an end.

Visually, Jump Force looks fantastic and really manages to capture its heroes and villains well in a 3D space. Nearly every character here has a long history of appearing in video games, some even leading multiple fighting games, but this game just feels different, even for a fighter. It’s far more concerned with style over substance.

The game loves to show off each characters classic moves in these huge, flashy displays. And it’s fair to say that they are gorgeous. It always looks and feels great landing a Kamehameha Wave or some insane Jutsu. Jump Force is clearly laser focused on look cooling, with the actual fighting game mechanics coming a distant second. This is not the sort of game you’ll be seeing at EVO on the main stage.

The team behind the game, Spike Chunsoft, are are fantastic team of people, but they aren’t really well-known for producing fighting games, let alone top-tier fighting games. In fact, it’s really hard to pin down what their style of game really is because of how they do a little of everything. From Pokemon stuff and Fire Pro Wrestling, to Danganronpa and Mario & Sonic Olympic Games, they do it all.

So, it does make sense that they would make a flashy fighter instead of a something deep and technical. Each of the the J-Stars games that they’ve done are always pretty different affairs, so they really aren’t building of a dedicated fighting engine. Still, that isn’t to say Jump Force isn’t a boat load of fun when in action, just don’t expect to be learning all manner of combos, counters, parry or drive systems

The game relies mostly on an auto-combo system which feels really simple. This works in the games favor where it might hurt another. Jump Force is all about bringing in fans from the respective anime series of the characters in the game. This means they aren’t targeting EVO players, but are looking to bring in anime fans and more casual gamers.

Gameplay boils down to smashing a button a bunch and something cool happening on screen. All I could think about when typing that last sentence was that weird Dragon Age 2 developer interview. “Press a button and something cool happens!” As you unload on your opponent you can also flick the analog stick either up or down to send them flying in that direction.

To mix things up you can hold one of the attack inputs and charge up to unleash and powered-up attack. You also have access to a throw button to mix things up a little bit as well. It’s all standard stuff, but where Jump Forcestands out is in the scope and breadth of special attacks you have to play with. It takes what feels like a basic button-masher and makes it into something to watch.

You see Jump Force in action and you are going to want to play it. Supers are the star of the show and where the most technical bits come into play. Unlike something like Street Fighter you don’t simply throw out a move and link it with others in succession. Each super works differently, even though they are all activated the same way.

Some characters may throw a fast attack at you while someone like Piccolo needs time to charge up his Special Beam Cannon. And during this charge time you left open for an attack. So understanding your favorite characters special attacks is vital in trying to create some sort of strategy. When you land some of these delayed supers you really feel accomplished and like you outsmarted your opponent.

Playing offline feels lot like a huge party mode. Most of my experience was trying out new teams and learning the supers of each character and how best to pull them off. With 42 characters you there is a lot of time you can put in just having fun with the match-ups you can make. But for those wanting a challenge there’s the online mode.

Here is where you are going to get a nice wake-up call for all that button-mashing that gets you by in single player. Jump Force is basic, but it isn’t without some finesse to how you can play. Guarding and guard counters is where a battle is really won or lost. Guarding at the right time during a fight can change the flow of a battle at a critical time. You can also employ a high-speed burst that serves as a rush-down to close the distance, or used to back off in a hurry.

It’s not going to get books and in-depth tutorials written about it, but there is some meat on the bone for those wanting something more from just cool anime kids hitting each other with world ending attacks. Still, Jump Force is all about popping that ultimate move because that’s where all the work has been put in. There is nothing quite like Naruto unleashing the Nine Tails that fills nearly the entire arena.

But even that is going to get old after you’ve seen everything the game has up its sleeve. In that case there is the adventure to fall back on. Sure, it’s not good, but it offers your avatar (how you can also use to fight with mind you) the chance to have a little collect-athon. You start as a blank slate, but with every fight or mission you complete you earn money and gear.

In this mode Jump Force becomes a dress-up simulator I can get behind it. The missions aren’t particularly exciting and moving the story forward is a chore because of the open nature of running around the home base where everything happens. But knowing I’m saving up for that new Leaf Village headband or One Piece shorts makes fighting over and over worth it.

I’m a sucker for getting my OC to look just the way that I want, so I’m willing to invest time into earning cash to make it happen. If you enjoy completing a game in totality then you are going to find a lot of content here. But if you are a fighting game fan that craves deep fighting mechanics you’ll be put off with Jump Force. The game does so much stuff but seems to focus on the actual fighting the least.

My biggest issue with the game comes from how it is all presented to the player. I can’t stand games with a forced hub-world that serves in place of a standard menu. You run around from one area to another visiting stands where you can shop and take missions. It’s like what was done in Dragon Ball Xenoverse. It just never sits right with me. I always think that it’s just a way to extend the length of the game.

I understand that this is where these sorts of Japanese developed games tend to be going with the whole “social” aspect of things, but it feels so tired. Seeing other players running around is good for a few laughs as people create some interesting characters, but it negates the overall impact of being the hero. Why am I doing all this work if there are a dozen other people running around here also saving the universe? I’d much rater hang out at the food court with Dark Magician Girl and let others handle thing.

Jump Forceis a whole lot of fun in short spurts but always just leaves you feeling like there should be more here, even with all the content thrown at you. There are characters you will wish were included, a stronger story, and be pissed that Ryuk, or anyone from Death Note, isn’t playable even though he’s in the damn trailer.

And while the game is really pretty, it’s also really stilted in 3D. Characters look great, but technical limitations rear their ugly head when they open their mouths. The realistic look to everyone probably doesn’t help, and everyone sort of reacts like stiff boards. Another problem I have is in character switching during a match. It’s all done by a single button and you are forced to rotate in order. This negates the strategic element of something like MvC where to can pull in any team member at any time.

Jump Forceis the perfect game to throw on at a party with a bunch of friends. But it’s just too shallow to offer up a deep gaming experience that will last longer than a few months.

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“Jump Stars is the perfect game to throw on at a party, but isn’t one you’ll invest a ton of time with outside of that”

Final Score:

2.5/5

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