This article was originally published in Italian on Thegamesmachine.it in 2016.
Two years after the release of All Star Battle, CyberConnect2 and Bandai Namco are once again trying to capitalize on the fame of Hirohiko Araki’s highly popular manga series, launching JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven. This game is a true carousel of characters that celebrates the franchise by covering all the story arcs currently known and available in the manga. Of course, the fame of the Joestar family has been amplified by the popularity of the animated adaptation, which recently arrived in Italy thanks to the joint efforts of Dynit and VVVVID.it. However, all elements within these video game productions clearly reference the original manga version of the “JoJo” protagonists, warriors whose blood is inextricably linked to supernatural powers and a fair share of… bizarre events.
Eyes of Heaven offers a new story mode, the highlight of the production, where 53 characters, born from the metrosexual genius of a Japanese mangaka, go head-to-head, following – when possible – the logic of the events described in their respective story arcs.
The main pillar, and icon of the series itself, is once again Jotaro Kujo, always intent on saving the world from a threat so vast it could shake the very foundations of reality. I don’t want to spoil the plot crafted by Araki himself (or at least it seems to be, but doubts remain), but anyone who’s played Dragon Ball Xenoverse might already have an inkling of what this game is about. After all, the idea of “interferences” in the original Joestar family story isn’t that different from what Dimps and Bandai Namco did with their video game tie-in to Akira Toriyama’s immortal work. Fortunately, in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven, the dialogues and overall script are much better, managing to get a few laughs, especially with new interactions between related characters or those from different eras (seeing Joseph Joestar call his younger self “kid” is hilarious, and it’s equally exciting to see Giorno Giovanna and Dio Brando launch a combined attack after a quick exchange of knowing looks).
The story mode represents about 80% of the game’s content, which otherwise revolves around classic online modes and little else. Yes, there’s no local multiplayer: in this new production by CyberConnect2, the efforts seem to have been entirely focused on adding as much extra content as possible, including unlockable costumes (and there are A LOT), additional colors, quotes, poses (OF COURSE), and various collectibles obtained by fulfilling specific conditions during battles or spending the money earned after each fight in the appropriate mode.
Unfortunately, those coming from the decent JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle may find themselves rather confused by the sharp shift in gameplay direction taken by CyberConnect2. Labeled in its home country as a 3D “Stylish Tag JoJo Action” fighting game, Eyes of Heaven has groups of warriors (up to two characters per team) battling it out in arenas of varying sizes that are fully explorable.
The two teams can face off using unique combat techniques, combining weak and strong attacks (with rather stiff results, it must be said), as well as interacting with the environment or simply launching themselves against barrels and street signs as if there were no tomorrow. Unfortunately, the gameplay structure, vaguely inspired by Capcom’s Power Stone series, rarely manages to provide a sense of complexity, offering mostly repetitive battles with minimal variation determined by the movesets of individual characters or their combat levels (i.e., how much health they have).
While it’s true that each hero has a distinct move set faithful to what’s seen in the manga, it’s equally clear that attack moves, especially those that power up a stand in offensive mode like Jotaro’s classic “hora hora,” are almost always the best choice. There are also passive abilities, the possibility of counterattacking, and power-ups found in different combat arenas, as well as a simple character leveling-up system based on a “simplified” version of Final Fantasy X’s sphere grid, but I can assure you that all of this can be easily ignored in favor of mindlessly repeating powerful attack techniques and button mashing.
To fulfill the obvious desire to pack the game with fan service, the Dual Combo and Dual Heat Attack mechanics appear. The former allows for an additional attack animation when a combo gauge, filled by hitting enemies with your controlled character and their partner, is completed, while the latter consists of the usual “super moves” activated in tandem. By pairing characters linked by story or special relationships, unique and elaborate animations are unlocked, while otherwise, the simplest combo attacks are shown, accompanied by the most lethal moves of both characters. Nothing particularly innovative, but certainly appreciated, especially given the rather rough and unsatisfying combat system, particularly over long sessions.
As for the technical side, it’s important to remember that the game was developed during the transition from the current to the previous generation of PlayStation consoles, and, in fact, Eyes of Heaven was also released for PlayStation 3 in Japan. Many of the graphic assets were taken from All Star Battle, while the distinctive aesthetic of Hirohiko Araki has been brought to life with a well-animated cel-shading effect, staying true to the original manga, with attention to detail that only a fan might notice. That said, the story mode is often static and features characters talking to each other in text bubbles like in classic low-budget JRPGs, occasionally punctuated by in-game animated sequences.
Even though it runs on PlayStation 4, it’s clear that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven doesn’t push the boundaries of Sony’s latest console, and it could easily be mistaken for a game from the previous generation. It doesn’t even boast the particle effects seen in the latest fighting game adaptation of the Naruto manga. The final visual result is still quite impressive, especially during sequences that accompany the most powerful moves, but given CyberConnect2’s ability to animate cel-shading in a way that fits the directing style of Japanese anime, we expected something a bit better.
On the other hand, there’s nothing to say about the voice acting and soundtrack. The first, especially, is absolutely in line with what was seen in All Star Battle and stays faithful, when possible, to the voice cast used in the animated adaptation.
With JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven, Bandai Namco and CyberConnect2 clearly wanted to try something new, but what they’ve shown here struggles to carve out a respectable place among recent anime tie-in video games, especially when compared to their own Naruto-based series. While it will be appreciated by fans, especially for the good amount of fan service, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven is destined to become one of those fighting games that come out when friends are over but then fade into obscurity when a sequel or another more complete and appealing production is released. And trust me, it doesn’t take much to find something more fun to play.
