We analyze the title based on the series of One Punch Man, a fighting game that follows the plot of the series through a character created by the player.
One Punch Man has been together with My Hero Academia, which will receive a new game shortly, one of the Japanese animation series of the superhero genre that has been gaining popularity in recent years, especially after the release of its animated adaptation. The series focuses on the adventures of Saitama, a young man who aspires to be a hero of his own volition, and as a personal hobby, who over time becomes an indestructible being capable of facing and ending the deadly threats, both originated on the planet like others that come from outer space, with just a single punch. Over time different heroes will show interest in Saitama, especially as a recent member and of a lower rank, while new threats and villains will try to test their skills.
This time we get the video game adaptation developed by Spike Chunsoft focusing the action on the creation of an original character who enters the association of heroes as a result of an encounter with Saitama and who will improve his powers both to ascend within the level of ranks of the association to contribute to the well-being and protection of the city and its inhabitants, meeting and making friends with the most powerful heroes of the association and facing dangerous villains.
When starting to play, the option to edit the character that the player will carry during the game is offered, defining basic aspects such as gender, facial details, configuring physical characteristics through various sliders and choosing type of clothing or including accessories for, finally, choose the name and nickname of the hero you will carry. It should be said that the options are somewhat scarce in this aspect but as orders are carried out, new customization elements can be unlocked to be able to choose when editing the character afterwards while giving the option of changing the hero pseudonym in certain moments of the game or using special objects.
The action will take place in the city that will serve as the central axis of both the single player mode and the online mode. At the beginning of the game you will only have access to the central square where you can accept orders from citizens and various missions at the branch of the hero association, some of them focused on offering the fundamentals of game mechanics as a tutorial . As missions are carried out, the orders of the main headquarters of the association will be accessed and therefore advance in history, being able to unlock access to new areas that will host new missions and also shops of different kinds, in addition from the player character's apartment
These stores will offer different types of items that can be purchased with the money earned in the completed missions. Among them is the beverage store that will offer items, usable prior to choosing a mission, and that will provide different effects, such as increasing combat time, attack power or facilitating the appearance of heroes as support among others, to facilitate victory . Then there is the clothing store that will allow you to obtain new elements such as faces, clothes, hairstyles and accessories to edit the avatar, something that can also be done from it. Another option available will be the furniture store where you will have access to buy items to personalize the player's character's apartment, including objects such as televisions, futons, bedside tables, refrigerators, washing machines, and several others in different colors.
On the other hand, there is the pawn shop, which in exchange for city medals, obtainable by completing quests, can be exchanged for rare items that include new skins, accessories, furniture and other additional items. Finally there is the kiosk of emotes and phrases in which new elements can be obtained to communicate with other players in online mode. Regarding the player's apartment, it can be said that its function is merely decorative since it hardly has any impact on the game except that of being able to play with the configuration of the elements that have been obtained in the furniture store or as rewards, which is done through of a box diagram covering each element a certain number of them and the interaction with them is reduced to a brief description. On the other hand, at this point you can also edit the appearance of the avatar.
The city offers various types of tasks necessary to advance the plot, improve the reputation and rank of the association, in addition to contributing to its well-being. First of all we have the missions of the association, which are divided into different types. On the one hand there are the missions related to the main plot that, obviously, follow the story of the series, covering the events of the first season, knowing in between the different main characters of the series and that by completing them it will be possible to unlock the use of certain characters in games versus mode. Following is a selection of missions of different levels, indicated by icons of fists, which will offer confrontations with different enemies, support of heroes and also some other extra handicap to complete them.
Another type of missions are the special ones, which are only available at the headquarters of the hero association and serve to strengthen ties with other characters in the series through combat and the occasional moment that offers response selection, although without consequences in development. It should be noted that the missions carried out in the branches only allow to accumulate contribution to the city but not points to rise in rank, which is restricted to the missions selected in the association's headquarters, while they can be carried out as many times as possible. the player wants, but in the case of special missions the bond gained with a character cannot be obtained again. Finally, there are the orders that correspond to tasks that the citizens and other characters of the series will offer in the city and that will be demarcated with yellow icons, having to travel the city to fulfill the objective, either looking for an object, talking to a character or fight, and then communicate it to the character in question to receive the reward. Likewise, orders can be carried out several times but the rewards will be different each time. Highlight that the missions will include special conditions, such as finishing the combat above a certain percentage of health, executing special techniques a number of times or winning by KO, which will allow you to get additional rewards, which will be shown on the screen at the end of the confrontation and will be settled with star icons if they have been successfully met. Mention that there may be enemies and other fighters that will follow the player's character to challenge him in spontaneous combat as he wanders around the city.
The combat of the game offers a game system similar to that seen in My Hero One's Justice, offering wide scenarios in which the characters will move looking for the right moment to carry out attacks to punish with different attacks and special techniques to defeat the adversary. The square and triangle buttons perform normal and strong attacks that can be alternated into charge attacks by holding them down for a while. The use of special techniques, meanwhile, is done by pressing the R2 button together with the buttons on the remote control, and the techniques must be previously equipped in the style equipped at that time. During the game you can get different types of additional styles, having in the first instance a standard style based on the movements of Silver Fang, which you will have to level up accumulating experience to unlock new options, such as special attack equipment slots or the use of the change so that the definitive technique can be used. It should be noted that the special techniques are unlocked through the performance of missions of specific characters, being able, in turn, to get new additional styles in the process.
The use of special techniques, as well as the activation of the change mode and the definitive technique, will require loading the special bar, located below the life bar, which can be done when attacking or loading it manually by pressing R2 and the X button , being able to store up to a maximum of 8 levels. The change mode, on the other hand, allows the character to activate the option of using the definitive technique for a limited time, the bar having a brightness temporarily that will be emptied during the process, having to execute the technique, with R2 and the Circle and triangle buttons at the same time, and make the attack hit the enemy to activate the animation and deal massive damage to the opponent.
In certain battles it is possible to receive the support of certain heroes, which will also be applied in reverse for the villains in certain missions, in such a way that a counter will mark the time it will take to arrive. This can be reduced by attacking the opponent, which will deduct several seconds from the marker and accelerate his arrival, after which he can alternate as a replacement fighter. On the other hand, at certain times there will be so many incidents that will affect the combat area, ranging from meteorite falls, lightning or the appearance of a character that will paralyze the contestants, and also the spontaneous appearance of drones that will bring objects into combat, something that can affect one or the other contestant depending on how quickly they reach him. Also denoting that the drone can be shot down and that it can affect one of the contestants causing damage to its life bar.
The progression and improvement of the character will depend on the level of experience gained in combat, which will vary depending on the level of the chosen mission, and also on spending the skill points to increase the level of parameters, being these obtainable with each level rise. The best can be invested in aspects such as standard of living, strength, defense, etc. which will make the character more efficient in combat. Regarding the styles, it should be noted that in total there are six types available in the game obtainable by carrying out specific missions of certain characters, including the standard type, which is equipped by default, there are also the machine, psychic, weapon, strength and monster. Each of them is very different from each other, being the most balanced standard, the force focused on making powerful physical attacks, the weapon that allows you to use swords or baseball bats, the psychic focused on distance attacks, the machine with a reduced power of attack but compensated in speed and finally the monster type the one that allows to execute techniques of the villains. It should be noted that equipping some of these styles will vary the appearance of the character, as is the case of the machine type.
Playable this title results in a simply correct experience, offering a development mainly motivated by advancing the plot and being able to unlock the main characters of the series. The missions are entertaining in the first instance through the different enemies that are faced and the change in conditions and support, in some cases with some known heroes and in others directly non-existent, but in the long run it becomes somewhat tedious and repetitive to the depend on them especially to get experience, with the exception being those of a special kind as they are related to the characters in the series and offer a point of variety with a certain sense of humor. In total the game includes a roster of 28 available characters, including the player's avatar, being mostly unlockable through the game's story mode, and which can be used in versus mode for local games with another player or against the AI .
The graphic section of the game shows a style that captures the atmosphere of the series in a correct way, both for the models of the main characters as well as the special attacks of each one and for the scenes of the game, including some that appeared in the animated adaptation. Unfortunately, this aspect is clouded by a somewhat poor performance in which the marked drops of framerate and delay in the load of the NPCs when moving around the city reduce the gaming experience.
In the sound section, the game offers a wide variety of musical themes to accompany the rhythm of the game. Some of these themes, such as in the city when you rank up or when you enter the menu, are heard while others go unnoticed. Highlight the game's opening theme, Freaking Out !, sung by the JAM Project group, who have also given voice to the openings of the two seasons of the animated version. On the other hand, the game offers the option of choosing between dubbing in English and Japanese, although it is not given access to it until the game's prologue is completed.
The multiplayer aspect of this title allows you to play normally with the presence of other players' avatars. The significant change is that it is possible that by carrying out some missions they will receive their support in combat. On the other hand, the main options in this way are found in the headquarters of the hero association, including playing tournaments to win gold medals that can be exchanged at one of the counters for objects of various kinds, although it is fair to say that these medals have an expiration time. On the other hand, ranking matches are also offered to face other players and climb the global ranking of the game in games with a character or a group of three.
CONCLUSION
In general, we are facing a title that is mainly aimed at fans of the series, showing a cast of characters that is more than correct, a story mode that offers a point of originality and abundant content in the form of various missions and unlockable items. The combat system it offers is acceptable and entertaining, although it doesn't measure up to the genre's heavyweights. Unfortunately, the biggest problem with the game comes from its performance, with a somewhat irregular optimization that results in very sharp frame drops when moving around the city and a delayed loading of the NPC models.
THE BEST
- Wide variety of characters to choose from, with a total of 28, including the avatar created by the player.
- He manages to capture the style of the series, both in the development of the story and in the sequences of the special and final techniques of each character.
- Abundant unlockable content
WORST
- Accused drops of framerate at various point moments, especially when moving around town, along with loads of late NPC models.
- In the long run, it can be tedious to carry out many missions.
Right
It is not the latest or most original, nor does it have the best execution, but it can be fun if you like the genre. Good, but upgradeable.
