As the credits rolled on the hero portion of My Hero One’s Justice 2‘s story mode, I took a look back at my review of the original game. “Huh, nothing’s really changed.”
My Hero One’s Justice 2 is certainly bigger and a little bit better than its predecessor, but it feels more like an expansion than a sequel. The combat remains pretty much untouched and all the same modes are present. The only major difference is that the roster is twice as big this time around. That means there’s a whopping 40 characters instead of 20.
Continuing where My Hero One’s Justice left off, My Hero One’s Justice 2‘s Story Mode is as impenetrable to non-fans of the anime as ever. It consists of story scenes presented as comic book cels, and flashy battles that capture the drama of the show quite well. But all in all it’s just not particularly engaging. In particular, the story mode battles do the game a disservice as they’re mostly one-on-one affairs across only one round. That means you generally miss out on summoning your sidekicks to assist you, as well as your most powerful Plus Ultra attacks.
There’s also the issue of the AI that remains unresolved. The computer is stupid. In most fights your opponents seemingly just want to go running rather than actually do battle, which means when they do put up a fight in later stages, you’ll be caught off guard. And the fighting is as basic as ever; just mash your attack button to do combos, and maybe spice the action up with one of your two Quirk attacks. There’s no real depth to My Hero One’s Justice 2; just grandiose movements that admittedly result in visual spectacle.
Outside of Story Mode, which will probably provide you with six to eight hours worth of entertainment, Mission mode makes a return, as well as the more standard fighting offerings such as Free Battle, Arcade and Online. Mission mode has undergone some meaningful changes, with teammates now having to be recruited. You’re still making your way through a multitude of maps though, fighting enemies and levelling up while reaping rewards.
Mission mode is perhaps where players will spend most of their time with My Hero One’s Justice 2, unless they have someone to play versus battles with. The unbalanced nature of the characters means that playing online with randoms isn’t a great deal of fun, but with friends the over-the-top nature of the action can result in some laughs. With both players actually going at it, battlegrounds can become chaotic, with team members frequently being called in to assist and powerful Plus Ultra attacks laying on both the eye-candy and the hurt. My Hero One’s Justice 2‘s combat may not be deep, but it can genuinely be entertaining.
Thanks to range of difficulty settings, playing against the computer in Arcade Mode can be a solid way to waste some time, too. My Hero One’s Justice 2‘s combat is at its best when playing as a full team with more options at your disposal. Plus, crank up the difficulty and your opponents won’t just run around anymore; they’ll actually put up a fight. Let’s face it, this is a game made for fans, and they’ll undoubtedly get a kick out of fighting with their favourite characters in Arcade Mode. It helps that My Hero One’s Justice 2 looks a little better than its predecessor; the visuals really are eye-catching at times, and there are no performance hiccups.
In the long-term, it’s My Hero One’s Justice 2‘s generous roster of fighters and their customisation options that will keep fans of My Hero Academia going back. Each and every one of My Hero One’s Justice 2‘s playable pugilists is big on personality, and they’re wonderfully translated from anime to video game. You’ll quickly find a handful that appeal to you, get accustomed to their Quirks, and then you’ll want to make them your own. Thankfully you can.
A huge range of customisation options can be unlocked via simply playing My Hero One’s Justice 2, and also bought with the coins that you earn. You can buy new outfits, new accessories, new lines of dialogue and more. Trying to unlock everything for everybody will be a massive grind, but concentrate on opening up the options for the characters you love and it’s good motivation to keep battling away. Nothing you can buy affects the gameplay in any way, however.
My Hero One’s Justice 2 is an unimaginative and unadventurous sequel; there’s no ambition here. It packs in a new story and more characters as if that’s enough, but it largely feels unchanged from its predecessor. Old issues inexplicably remain and the combat is as shallow as ever. So, while My Hero One’s Justice 2 is undoubtedly a better game than the first, you’ll likely be a little disappointed with it, whether you’re a fan of My Hero Academia or not. Still, there are worse ways to spend your money.
My Hero One’s Justice 2 is available on PS4, Xbox One Switch and PC. We reviewed the game on an Xbox One X with code provided by the publisher.
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