My Hero One's Justice 2 Review

Player(s): 1-2
Extra Features: Online Multiplayer (2), Local Multiplayer (2), Leaderboards

My Hero One’s Justice 2 is the sequel to the 2018 arena fighter based on the My Hero manga and My Hero Academia anime. The sequel is developed by Byking and published by Bandai Namco. My Hero takes places in a world where superpowers (aka. quirks) are normal and much of the population has some sort of superpower that they use for good or evil. Once again, the main character is Izuku Midoriya who is under the training of All Might, the world’s greatest hero from the first game. This game’s story takes place from the Provisional Hero License Exam Arc to the Shie Hassaikai Arc – basically it picks up around the anime’s third season.

The game has the appearance of a Naruto fighter, but plays a lot like a Power Stone game. Just like the first game, you pick a main fighter to play as and are offered two assist characters to choose from. Battles are extremely flashy and fast-paced. The sequel has a roster of 40 characters. All of the fighters from the first game return and some new characters from the new story arcs are included as well. The combat has only changed slightly. The super gauge now has a different look to it, but still serves the same purpose. There is also a new stamina bar above your character’s life bar that decreases as your character guards against attacks or dodges attacks – this is nice since it limits how much a player can block or dodge away from your attacks.

Other than the stamina gauge, the fighting gameplay remains the same for the most part. You can still call in assists to help out, even during the middle of attacks. Every fighter has their own set of Plus Ultras (super moves) and each assist has their own Plus Ultra as well. The arena crumbles as it suffers damage during fights, and fights can be taken up on the side of the wall. Just like in the first game, you can perform attacks that will cause your opponent to stick into the side of the wall or ground and then perform follow-up attacks on the stunned opponent. The maneuverability in the game is really awesome and fights can be taken all over the place in every arena with the number of options available to you. Some characters excel in close range combat while others are better for mid or long range.

The main single player modes are Story, Arcade and Mission mode – the same type of modes from the first game. Story mode takes you through the main game’s story and you have the option of selecting different characters to see side plots during some stages. The story mode has a hero mode and a villain mode. Just like the first game, cutscenes are presented with animated still shots of characters with voice work. The voices are set to English by default, but can be switched to Japanese. The English is very well done, but I’m sure hardcore fans will want to switch to Japanese rather quickly with what their probably used to from the anime.

Arcade mode allows you to pick a character and work your through a ladder of several opponents. You get to choose your opponents on cards that are turned over to reveal your next foe. Instead of just having one ladder of opponents, you get three ladders per character to choose from – alpha, beta and gamma paths. Mission mode has a similar battle node setup just like the first game. It plays out much like a survival mode where you carry the same health bar through each set of fights. Unlike the first game, you now have to buy your characters as you progress – you start with Izuku alone and must gain in-game currency to unlock all other characters. Instead of giving you health and attribute bonuses in an inventory, this time the items are found on the battle node maps. You must earn your way to each item or strategically move around the grid to get to it while on your way to the next battle. Items are used automatically once you find them so you can’t build up an inventory of items this time. Every arena area has a certain amount of HP and it will suffer damage for each move you make. If you don’t get to the fights before they are drained of HP, the current mission will be a failure.

Mission mode also has new attribute bonuses that can be equipped to your current team – these bonuses are unlocked by working your way through the mode. Each fighter can also gain bonuses from being paired with certain other characters. Some characters costs more than others are some are unlocked for purchase as you continue to advance through the mode. All characters still gain levels through experience, just like in the first game. The Mission mode is harder than it was in the first game, but with enough leveling, you can still get through your opponents. The Mission mode is actually a bit more fun this time with more available options.

And just like the first game, the sequel has tons of unlockables. No matter what mode you play, you’ll be unlocking bonus items. The majority of the items unlocked are used in either Mission mode or the game’s gallery mode. Just like with all Bandai Namco anime titles, this game has tons and tons of tutorials to assist players. The game also allows for character customization once again. This time each fighter has a wealthy share of customizable items to choose from. Many options (other than just palette swaps) are available. There is also an option for playing matches online. You can play the usual unranked and ranked matches or set up a room to allow other players to join. There is also a list of events that you can complete to gain extra items while playing online.

While My Hero One’s Justice 2 is better than the first game, you would think that the game would include even more. Some characters basically remain unchanged and the battle system and overall look is nearly the same as it was in the last game. The game is still fun enough to warrant a purchase for hardcore fans, but if you didn’t find much to enjoy with the first game, there is really nothing here for you – it’s really just more of the same with some extras. If you didn’t play the first game and are curious, the sequel is definitely the way to go since it has everything from the first game and more – the only thing it’s really missing is the first game’s story mode. Even with the complaints, the game is still a solid fighter, it’s just lacking when it comes to new additions.

The Good:
+ A total of 40 characters in the roster
+ Mission mode has been upgraded a bit with more options
+ The game is still a lot of fun and looks great

The Bad:
- Aside from the roster update and mission mode upgrades, there isn’t a lot of new stuff
- Slowdown during some matches