After “Naruto,” one of the next big franchises coming out Japan has to be “My Hero Academia.” The series has the familiar tropes that have come to dominate the genre. Instead of ninjas, this game is about people with superpowers. The abilities known as quirks are varied and widespread. In this society, several schools have sprouted up to teach generation of students how to use their abilities.
The main character of the series is Izuku Midoriya, a boy who was born quirkless, but gains the powers of the strongest hero in the world, All Might. He enrolls in UA High School and undergoes an education into being a hero.
The franchise is filled with its share of villains and heroes as Midoriya and his classmates survive attacks from ne’er-do-wells. The concept lends itself naturally to a fighting game and that’s the form that “My Hero One’s Justice” takes.
I had a chance to play the game at a preview event recently. The fighting game takes place in 3-D space and reminds me of the old Capcom game “Power Stone.” Players have a wide freedom of movement. They can dash toward a foe with the left shoulder button and block with right shoulder button. The face buttons have three types of attacks and a jump.
The fighting system itself isn’t terribly complicated. Players can tap several buttons in a row for a combo. Over time, they build up a super meter and they can convert that into powerful attacks and combos by using the right shoulder button and face buttons.
Lastly, there’s a sidekick system that’s activated by the left and right triggers. These other characters are picked during the character select, and they rush in to provide openings to set up longer combos.
The action is fast-paced and easy to pick up. For fans, it’ll be a treat to control Midoriya, All Might and a collection of what looks like 20 characters. (That’s my best guess.) The stages I played were midsized and varied with destructible obstacles such as columns. Players can also get fairly high in the air with the aid of an air dash.
From what I played, it’s shaping up to be a decent fighting game entry. The characters each have their own characteristics. Stain’s attacks are fairly slow but pack a punch while Midoriya is quick and powerful.
The only qualm I have is that the anime and manga series have advanced far along enough that some of the character design and moves feel dated. It would have been better to see Midoriya with a move set more in line with the third season of the anime.
“My Hero One’s Justice” is scheduled to come out Oct. 26 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
