The word ‘fanservice’ has a very bad reputation. It strictly refers to the superfluous elements of a work that exist only to be appreciated by its most fanatical followers. It is also used to refer to “suggestive” situations and is strongly related to the world of ‘manga’ and ‘anime’. Despite these negative connotations, the ‘fanservice’ and the references do not have to be a bad thing and the video game JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R proves it.
If we analyze this title based on Hirohiko Araki’s popular ‘manga’ and ‘anime’ series from a technical perspective, we can say that not a great fighting game. How can you read in our review, it does not have a good ‘netcode’ and that prevents a competitive community from emerging around it. However, this title has a different objective than tournaments.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R it’s a game created with fans of the franchise in mind and that’s why it’s full of what can be called ‘fanservice’. It could be said that all the elements of the game – from the menus to the very movements of the characters – are references to the work of Araki.
This is not unusual in the video game adaptation of a well-known work. Let’s take as an example one of the most popular fighting games of recent years, which is based on an ‘anime’: Dragon Ball FighterZ
Followers of the adventures of Goku and company will easily recognize the abilities of each of the characters and the scenarios in which they fight. This title has been highly praised not only for its game systems, but also for the fidelity with which it represents the characters and their combat. But the game of “the Jojos” goes much further than that.
Of course, the characters look exactly the same as their animated counterparts. The particular art of the ‘mangaka’ is very well represented in the three-dimensional models. Having the same voice actors from the ‘anime’ series is always a plus point. But the visual fidelity pales in comparison to the way the game mimics the style of the original work.
Each of the stages has a danger zone that, once activated, causes something special to happen that can affect any of the fighters. This is not something new, but all these situations are taken directly from the original work: from a vampire horse that can run us over until a rain of poison frogs. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R not only includes references and winks as a ‘fanservice’, but in ways that affect gameplay and make the game more interesting.
In this way, movements that are common and shared by several members of the cast are no longer simple playable tools to be part of the narrative and give them personality. You have to see, for example, the ways in which Will A. Zeppeli or the young Joseph Joestar “run” when they move away from the rival, who Josuke Higashikata’s ‘counter’ is activated because they make fun of his hairstyle or that FF must constantly drink liquids to recharge his plankton. It is also possible to finish the fights in a way that recreates iconic scenes from the ‘manga’.
The problem is that, in search of these levels of fidelity, the game can be “unbalanced”. For example, at Morioh’s level a lightning strike can strike that hurts combatants, but if one of them is Akira Otoishi, he is immune to damage and even fills the first level of his power bar. Another good example is that Jotaro Kujo can counter Dio’s time-stopping power it is included nullify his Great Heat Attack—in which he throws the infamous steamroller—after being hit and regaining lost health. He’s the only character that can do this because he fits into what’s happening in the original story.
These are the kinds of details that are appreciated from the fan’s point of view, but are unforgivable competitively because they give unfair advantages or disadvantages.. That the developers decided that elements like this were worth including even if they affected the perception of their work as “a serious fighting game” makes it clear that celebrating the franchise JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure It was one of the pillars of its development.
This love for the series is even noticeable in the game’s interface. Have you noticed that a book turning pages is one of the most used animations to show that a game is loading data? JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R He also uses it, but it is specifically Koichi Hirose’s head turned into a ‘sleeve’ after being affected by the power of the Heaven’s Door stand.
Characters that are not part of the list of controllable characters, such as Daniel J. D’Arby, Emporio Alniño and Ringo Roadagain wait for us in the menus to explain what to do in each of them, showing their personality in each line of dialogue. Ghiaccio stands out among them, angry at having been “reduced” to guiding us through the collection section.
we also hear el icónico “Much!” de Melone when we perform combos, but that is not the best detail. When we go to choose the ‘Accept’ option in a menu, we do not choose a simple ‘Yes’. we choose Yes Yes Yes!. That small item is enough to bring a smile to any fan of JoJo’s.
Over the years, many anime-inspired games—particularly fighting games—have boasted numerous controllable characters and settings ripped from the page and screen. That’s fine, but JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R shows that you can go beyond references. The love for a work can be shown even in the simplest elements —such as the text of a menu— and make the ‘fanservice’ become something more than a simple reference for fans, but elements that make the work more interesting. playable experience.