JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future

When are anime video games at their best? Simple, when you are beating the snot out of another recognisable character, in a memorable setting with intense music blaring in the background. Back in the 90’s that’s just about all their was in this category. No open ended story games, no open worlds and no spin-off titles. Just arcade style fighters which allowed fans to control their favourite characters and inflict pain on all that stood in their way. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future is a perfect example of this.

This game plays like fighting games of the era such as Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Dead or Alive, Soul Calibur and Soul Blade. Yet also like anime titles such as Jump Force, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm and any of the Dragonball-Z game additions. This game aims to be a fighter Jojo fans could hold dear forever more. However, is this a game that stands the test of time? We find out in our review of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future.

Future Proof Gaming

You know what happens when you go down the arcade route? Well, if you do it right and make the game infinitely replaceable, the game becomes future proof. A feat that the developers of this game manage to achieve with ease. The mechanical bliss when controlling this game is palpable, the simple to understand but difficult to master combos are conducive with a classic arcade fighter and each fighter is unique, offering a varied set of play styles to utilize.

As you the visuals, they are very much in line with the style of Street Fighter II, most likely due to the fact that the same team worked on each game. Of course, the game has themes, environments, models and details that make it a Jojo game. However, the art style is very much Street Fighter-esque. Which, don’t get us wrong, is never a bad thing.

Then you have the fan content. This game follows the story of the third part of the anime. It features some sketches that are lifted directly from the manga and also features a stand mode which would become a staple of later games in the series. It’s a game that is build with care to appeal to long time fans and causal gamers alike and it’s a testament to the experienced fighting game creators who were at the helm.

The Verdict

Overall, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future is a arcade fighter that is well worth checking out. There is a reason why this game was made available on modern consoles in 2012.

Pros:

• Infinitely fun arcade format
• Great fan service for fans of the series.
• Plenty of different play styles

Cons:

• Primitive my today’s standards