JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a divisive series because most people either love it or hate it. It has many characters, some appearing in multiple arcs. The fights are as strange as the characters and fit a fighter perfectly. The game has 50 characters from all the different arcs of the series and it is easy to see where they come from if the player is a fan of the series. You have all the JoJos, the villains and other characters kind of floating in between and it’s great to see so many characters in a fighting game right at the start and promising hours of fun without unlocking anyone.

The characters are fully voiced, but only in Japanese, and there’s a lot of unique dialogue between the characters, making it fun to see what the characters would say to each other. Many never have and never will fight each other in canon, so it’s pretty amazing to see them all in one game. The characters are all so lively and weird, it’s charming, whoever worked on the game clearly had a fondness for the series as a whole and it shows.

The fights feel like they’re taking place in the show and the atmosphere is just right. Fighting in this game is a bit more methodical than most and can take some getting used to. It’s not as fast and flashy as Multiversus or Super Smash Bros. , but it’s a game that takes practice to master and for diehard fans I think it’s worth it. There are multiple ways for the characters to fight, such as using Hamaon and Stands. Each character plays a little differently, and it’s all about timing.

Usually the player just plods forward, but he can also run. The battles can get chaotic as the characters start to use their special moves and unleash attack after attack. In addition, players can have an AI partner, which they can unleash with the push of a button. Unleash a combo and quickly send a partner to deal even more damage to an enemy.

There are multiple modes including a solid arcade mode where players fight through 8 battles depending on the character. With such a large selection, it will definitely take some time to clear them all. Again, it’s fun to see who they face in this 8-battle Arcade mode. Endless mode is my favorite mode and it just pits the player against endless enemies. Eliminating the enemies in time gives the player more health, keeping the fight going. The battles get harder as the player progresses, so be prepared for anything.

All-Star Battle Mode is the challenge battle mode. It allows players to fight through different battles and place characters from their specific arcs. The battles get harder, but the rewards get better too. Especially for fans, it’s worth playing as iconic battles are about to begin. Defeating enough will unlock a boss fight in the form of boss panels that offer even more challenge. It’s great to see so much challenging content because some fighting games just don’t offer that.

There is also a local and online multiplayer where players can compete in the leaderboard mode or just battle random players online. There is also an online mission mode with special rewards up for grabs. There are new rewards every week, so it’s worth checking out if a favorite character gets a new outfit. The online connection is quite good, as the game is slower, there is less chance of things not going through, and players can play against each other with relatively few problems.

The challenges often require players to know how to perform certain moves, and with random and ranked players coming into play, only the best can take on these challenges. Again, the game isn’t easy to master, but for those invested in the series, it’s well worth learning how to play. This game is not for the faint of heart as it is frankly much more challenging than it shows. I’m nowhere near good enough to take on powerful enemies, but even at my level, the fights aren’t easy.

Players can use their coins to unlock visible models of the characters and other goodies, giving the player an incentive to keep the fight going. This game has a lot of content to see for fans of the series and should keep them fighting for hours. The visible models look really good, and it’s cool to have a collection of them, even if they’re just in-game. Having a ton of stuff to buy adds to playtime and makes grinding all those matches worth it.

Unfortunately, the game lacks any of its musical cues like the classic yet-to-be-seen sting. The music still manages to interact with the fights and has enough JoJo personality that it all works the same. It would be a nice addition to add some theme songs, but probably with copyright that wouldn’t be possible with the American songs.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R is a fantastic fighting game. It’s packed with fan service and has hours of content for those invested in the series. Being a solid fighting game, this can attract newbies who would also enjoy diving deeper into this strange series. It might take some getting used to, but it’s a solid fighter worth checking out. The battles are really bizarre, will the player take up the challenge?

Disclaimer: A rating key has been provided

Available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and PC

Rated on Nintendo Switch