2019 was not a particularly fruitful year for the tie-ins of Bandai Namco: Jump Force, One Piece: World Seeker and Tokyo Ghoul: re Call to Exist did not meet the expectations of the fans and turned out to be not exactly exceptional games. . 2020 therefore wants to be a change of trend: started with a good Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot which, although not brilliant, has been able to conquer the fans of the brand, will continue with several important releases such as One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris, My Hero One's Justice 2 and One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows. Without forgetting the newly announced Captain Tsubasa: Rise of new Champions, which however does not have a launch date yet.
We went to the Bandai Namco studios in Milan to try them all and below we give you our impressions:
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4
After 5 years from the last chapter, One Piece Pirate Warriors lends itself to returning with a fourth chapter, thanks to the new narrative arcs accumulated by the famous manga by Eiichiro Oda. Pirate Warriors 4 will in fact cover all game events ranging from the Alabasta saga to the Wano saga. For this reason, as you can imagine, the number of playable characters has significantly increased reaching almost 40, as far as those already announced are concerned.
We had already tried the game thanks to Bandai Namco during the course of Gamescom 2019 and at that time no relevant news emerged from the classic musou formula to which the series has always accustomed us. The same can be said of this second test, where however the build was certainly more advanced and allowed us to play as Big Mom, Karakuri and Kaido. In this version we have in fact noticed that the game ran in a decidedly more fluid way and that finally there was additional work in the settings that this time are considerably more destructible, compared to what we had seen in Cologne.
From the point of view of gameplay, however, there are no particular innovations, the four special abilities available for each character have been maintained, to be alternated with combinations of strong and weak attacks. The only "new" thing that we can report, however, are the preparation phases before each battle, where it is possible to equip the selected character with various passive abilities to be oriented according to your style of play. For example, if you are players who tend to conquer all territories in the Musou, you may want to equip yourself with skills that speed up the conquest and give you bonuses. Then there are skills that benefit those who prefer aerial combos, those who prefer defense and energy recovery and so on.
One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 will not be a revolutionary chapter of Bandai Namco, but it promises a lot of content and entertainment to all lovers of musou and, above all, of One Piece. Bandai Namco's appointment with the latest chapter of One Piece is for next March 27, 2020 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris
As you can imagine from the title, the next Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris is based on the Alicization story arc, set in the virtual world of Underworld. The protagonist of the game will be, as always, Kirito who for the occasion will be accompanied by already known characters such as Eugeo and Alice, who you will already know if you are familiar with the universe of Sword Art Online, be it the anime or the novels, plus two completely new characters, for a total of 7 playable characters. The story will largely follow the known events, but there will also be non-canonical narrative elements, with completely original plot portions written specifically for Alicization Lycoris.
This new chapter of Sword Art Online will also have a JRPG setting with action elements. Each character will be able to use different types of skills, from Special Arts to Finish Arts, as long as you have filled the respective bars. The game requires particular attention in battle, because often the enemies (especially the large ones or the bosses), require special conditions in order to be seriously damaged. Some will have a barrier that will be destroyed with specific abilities, or others only under the effect of particular elemental attacks. In fact, during the battles it can often happen that your party members help you by suggesting the best tactics to be able to defeat the enemy.
Initially, the new combat system may seem a bit confusing, but you get the hang of it quickly. The maps will be open and explorable in total freedom, to find hidden objects and equipment that are always useful in games like these. The game experience is perhaps a bit slow and in some ways recalls what had been seen with the White Knight Chronicles series on PS3, but we don't know if it was because of the build that needed optimizations or if the game actually aims to a more reasoned and calm gameplay.
The two demos we tried thanks to Bandai Namco gave us mixed feelings from this point of view and having tested it for less than 20 minutes, we do not feel too unbalanced in the judgments, so we prefer to wait for the review. The game will be released next May 22 on PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
My Hero One's Justice 2
The first My Hero One's Justice was not particularly successful, despite being the first title to land on the main home consoles. Considering that we are talking about the shonen phenomenon of the moment, perhaps it was legitimate to dare more. For this reason, My Hero One's Justice 2 has a very important weight on its shoulders, especially now that the fourth season is underway where the attention of the public is reaching very high levels due to some particularly exciting moments in the story. Unfortunately, our test was limited to simple 1v1 battles, so there was no way to evaluate the story mode and other game content (like the new 2v2), which would have done well to have a idea of the final product as the release will only be in a few months.
My Hero One's Justice 2 boasts a roster consisting of over 40 playable characters who appeared during the course of these 4 seasons of the anime, ergo until the end of the arc of the attack on Hassaikai and the rescue of Eri. This has allowed some characters, such as Shigaraki and Overhaul, to have two different playable versions, in the case of Midoriya even three, since its One For All 100% version will be available for those who pre-order the game.
The novelty adds to the gameplay, for what we have seen, they are mostly technical and aesthetic. First of all, the destructibility of stages has been increased to the point that it is now possible to unlock new arenas in real time by breaking through walls or floors through specific shots and holds. The characters will also have the ability to walk and run on walls (provided they have enough stamina), or even to cross them directly, if their Quirk allows it, like that of Mirio. Note that the effect of the through is not very successful, but we hope it was a problem with the build we tested. Each character, as in the previous one, will be accompanied by two Shoulders, or two characters that can be invoked in battle to have support in attack, very useful for countering some combos or to push the opponent away. Filled the bar of the Plus Ultra, you can then unleash the special moves, whose damage is significantly increased compared to the past. Greater emphasis has also been given to air strikes, which however do not seem to be in tune with the flow of clashes and therefore often break the pace.
My Hero One's Justice 2 is perhaps the title that convinced us less in our test, especially thanks to the limits imposed by the version we tested. In the review we will certainly be more exhaustive and to have a broader vision of what the game will have to offer, which we hope is a lot given that the My Hero Academia brand deserves a product up to par. Bandai Namco gives us an appointment therefore next March 13 on PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
We do not hide it, since its first announcement by Bandai Namco, One Punch Man A Hero Nobody Knows had not really convinced us, but now that we have tried it firsthand we are heartened and we are sure that it is a game made with intelligence and also with discrete care and respect for the product. The version we tried allowed us to get our hands on the story mode, which for obvious gameplay needs does not put us in the shoes of the good Saitama, but in the shoes of a completely new character created by us. The personalization editor is incredibly vast and rich, allowing us to make our hero as we like, starting with sober and serious looks, up to the eccentricity made in person.
The goal of the story will be to make the mess starting from grade C and then get to S and thus have the opportunity to fight the most powerful creatures that threaten the earth. Obviously, the story of our alter ego will often cross that of Saitami and all the other supporting actors, interacting with them and even fighting alongside us. Indeed, it will be precisely the possibility of fighting with the support of great heroes, one of the most successful mechanics of this game.
Being novice heroes, it is possible to run into more powerful enemies and this will prevent us from defeating them with our own strength, therefore requiring external help. This help is represented by Saitama and companions, who will leave to help us once called. The peculiarity is due to the fact that the heroes will take a while to arrive and this will mean that we should in a sense survive the battles waiting for our saviors. But let's clarify one thing: not all fights need a strong hero to be won, indeed it is possible to win with our strength if we are particularly good and capable. The combat system of A Hero Nobody Knows is in fact unsuspectingly sophisticated that also boasts some not bad technicalities, such as counterattacks with the right timing, dodging and circumventing. Obviously the combos and special moves are also part of the moveset that can be customized and enhanced as you level up. In fact, the game is set up with some RPG elements, where experience points are obtained by wandering around the city and completing the main and secondary missions that will be entrusted to us.
One Punch Man A Hero Nobody Knows has entertained us in a sincere way and we did not expect it at all. The gameplay, while simplistic, works and requires the right amount of effort. The story is intertwined to the right point to be consistent with that told in the original work, taking the necessary liberties and expanding the game world with unpublished encounters and battles. Also, the feeling and the atmosphere that you breathe is really that of the anime, you really feel in the shoes of a novice hero trying to make his way into the world of One Punch Man.
Bandai Namco's appointment with this title is really close and we can't wait for February 27th.
So here is the Bandai Namco line-up presented in the Milan studios that will be launched during this 2020 which, at least from the assumptions, seems to really live up to expectations.
