Jump Force Review - Shonen Through And Through
Jump Force: Fan service is not enoughBandai Namco has been specializing for many years in adapting successful manga licenses, sometimes even bringing them together around a choral work. And in 2019, the Japanese publisher hits hard with a fighting game ... the ultimate crossover of the flagship franchises of the magazine Shonen Jump which celebrates its 50 years. But does Jump Force have what it takes to enter the pantheon of fighting? Answer in the arena.
FAN SERVICE OPERATION
Crossovers often suffer from a common evil, that of the pretext story and Jump Force proves it once again. The writers behind this story without much interest stumble on their pen. An alliance of villains attacks our reality as well as those of the heroes of our childhood. Faced with this unprecedented threat, the Jump Force sets up to thwart the plans of Freezer and his cronies. History never makes an appointment with posterity. Worse, the lack of rhythm tackles a narrative that does not ask for so much. The cinematics and anecdotal dialogues punctuate a series of missions without ever managing to unravel a context conducive to repeatability. Getting involved therefore becomes a profession of faith.The scenario never surprises and is satisfied with a succession of fights with similar objectives. The only real interest of Jump Force lies in its foundations, those of the ultimate crossover. The title of Spike Chunsoft brings together no less than 40 fighters from 15 iconic works that rocked the youth of manga fans. And this 5-star cast is up to the expectations placed in it. Fussy people probably deplore the absence of such characters, such series, but in fact Jump Force screams his love for the Shonen Jump. Dragon Ball, City Hunter, Saint Seiya, Hunter X Hunter, Hokuto no Ken ... there is something for everyone. And the presence of 4 new characters as well as cameos including Light from Death Note is not to displease us.
Bandai Namco takes the concept further by integrating the creation of personalized avatars. And this system gives free rein to our imagination. Genre, appearance, combat techniques, ultimate attack, outfits, passive skills ... the player is overwhelmed by the customization options and the items to unlock as the game progresses in order to create a hero in his image. To do this, the resources collected one fight after another are essential. Customization ... here is the real carrot that pushes the tenacious to pursue an adventure which is otherwise lambda but having the goodness to be told in Japanese (with the official voices of the characters) and subtitled in French.
READY TO RUMBLE
Jump Force: Fan service is not enoughBandai Namco in no way seeks to reinvent the genre. Jump Force is based on a formula known to virtual fighters, a 3 versus 3 in open and semi destructible arenas. Close to the Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm saga in spirit, this fighting game is risked off-piste by allowing players to alternate between characters like a Dragon Ball FighterZ. However, team members share their health, ability and Awakening gauges. This not insignificant choice makes the alternation unnecessary. What good is it to change heroes if not to sporadically call for support and break a combo. The clashes thus lose all strategic dimension.
Jump Force: Fan service is not enough
Spike Chunsoft promises to be epic and on this point fans are generously served. Both accessible to the greatest number and technical, Jump Force puts on a constant and unbridled action even to simplify the fights. Let the purists be reassured, the latter recites the ranges of the fighting game with its combos, its cons, its charged strikes, its projections and its powers… all extremely easy to master. The roster’s heroes and villains spin on the screen and swoop down on their opponent with a tracking system that energizes the passing of weapons. The Bandai Namco title targets Shonen Jump fans above all.Jump Force is an ode to the big show with its explosive capabilities that split the screen, the arena and the opponent if you fill the right gauge. And the Awakening continues on this momentum. In order to stick to Shonen's mind, this state momentarily boosts character powers and unlocks an ultimate attack is available after a large amount of damage taken. Bandai Namco also has the good idea to postpone these famous gauges from one round to the next to breathe a bit of tactics. The result is nervous clashes at will and partially technical. Unfortunately, the camera instantly ruins the efforts made by focusing only on the staging. The gameplay and especially the readability of the fights suffer to the point of frustrating the most patient players.
A fighting game would be a shadow of itself without a multiplayer worthy of the name. Jump Force therefore provides the essentials with its local and online modes. Confronting players from all over the world is seamless. Matchmaking is effective just like netcode. With the exception of a few hiccups here and there, the warriors fight in very good conditions. Even more surprising, the solo dancing camera seems to want to land in multi. The duels become more readable and therefore enjoyable. Ranking enthusiasts can indulge their passion without fear.
THE DISRUPTIVE VALLEY
Jump Force: Fan service is not enough
The first revelations surrounding Jump Force divided the fan community. In question, the artistic direction halfway between realism and cel shading. And it must be admitted that the textures of the environments clash with the solid colors of the characters. An unbalanced patchwork of artistic directions is at work. Indeed, the title of Bandai Namco does not know on which foot to dance and is lost. While some characters and sets are doing well, others are taking on a design that hardly suits them. However, the special effects are to be welcomed as they enjoy exemplary work. Visually speaking, these FX appear on the screen and unhook the retina. Unfortunately these often make the action unreadable and add to the difficulties of the camera.
And the technique does nothing to catch up on these artistic errors. Between the blurred textures, the rigid animations and the loading times as many as long, Jump Force plays with the patience of the players and seems already dated despite a brand new Unreal Engine.
The notes
+ Positive points
A colossal fan service
40 playable characters from 15 cult licenses
An adventure dubbed in Japanese and subtitled in French (VOSTFR)
Nervous and accessible battles
The personalization and avatar creation system
PvP locally and online
-Negative points
A scenario without much interest
A redundant experience with pretext missions
A camera and confused clashes
An overloaded visual rendering (special effects, details of the decorations ...)
An unbalanced patchwork of varied artistic directions
A dated overall achievement
Numerous loads that pull long
The promise was enticing on paper, but Jump Force never meets the expectations placed in such a project bringing together under a common banner the cream of the manga franchises of the Shonen Jump. Fan service cannot stand alone. The dated production and the unbalanced artistic direction leave something to be desired, despite epic and nervous, albeit rough, battles. The title of Bandai Namco simply benefits from the 50th anniversary of the Japanese magazine.
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