https://youtu.be/KHrMm1seqkk
Back at E3 2018 we here at Gaming Instincts were able to get our hands on a playable demo of Jump force from Bandai Namco. While our play session was short we were able to gather some thoughts on what we were. Today we’d like to discuss those thoughts with you. This is our hands on impressions of Jump Force.
Jump force is a 3D fighter featuring popular Shonen Jump characters. Characters like Son Goku from Dragon Ball, Luffy from One Piece and Naruto from the show of the same name. There are more characters but these ones in particular are the poster children for this title. Each character has their own movesets of what you’d expect to see from the show. Goku with his Kamehameha blast, Naruto with his Rasengan and Luffy with his Gum-Gum moves.
Graphics
Jump force is looking great on the Unreal Engine. Punches look like they have some serious impact. Particles effects are looking good when firing blasts and transforming. Character graphics look somewhat plastic in the sense that they don’t look natural. However the environments that players can battle in look great. Lighting effects are on point, textures from streets and other locations look very good. That is before they become smashed by your attacks.
Super attacks are the real breakout when it comes to graphics. Lighting is done right to give you that powerful feel. The animations are very smooth and camera angles when performing a special move do a nice job of keeping the action centered. Overall Jump Force is a good looking game, with nice reflective textures, proper lighting and detail it isn’t lacking in the beauty department.
Gameplay
Now in a fighting game, especially one this high profile gameplay is where the heart lies. Jump Force plays generally how you would expect it to if you’ve ever played a 3D Dragon Ball or Naruto game. More similar to Naruto than Dragonball players battle in a confined spaced while locked on to their opponent. Combos are relatively easy to string together and ultimate attacks are easy to perform. Jump Force features and 3 v 3 combat system which allows players to team up 3 of their favorite characters. While gameplay is good it’s not really something we haven’t had before. The main selling point of this game is all of your favorite Jump characters battling each other, but what the game is lacking in is originality of fighting mechanics. It does feel like a true mix of a Dragon Ball 3D title and a Naruto 3D title but there’s enough of those titles that we already know how it plays before even touching the game. 
The roster for Jump Force is a good mix of characters with additional characters like Frieza, Sosuke Aizen and Ichigo Kurosaki joining the fight. During the Jump Force trailer during E3 2018 we were given a glimpse of Light Yagami and Ryuk watching the fight shown in the trailer. Fans were eager to know whether or not they are playable characters. Nick O’Leary, PR from Bandai Namco, confirmed that the characters will contribute to the story but won’t actually be playable characters. Which is a real letdown considering a lot of the Shonen Jump characters are playable in this title, so why leave these two out?
Story
Jump Force will have a story mode, and its details are mostly hidden as of now. What we do know is one being has merged together our world with each one of our respective characters worlds. The villains of those worlds have team up with our new big baddie and their motives are unclear at this point. The hero’s of these worlds have also teamed up to defeat this new evil, it’s a classic good vs bad scenario. As mentioned before Light Yagami and Ryuk were shown briefly in the announcement trailer but it’s unclear who’s side they will be taking.
Conclusion
Overall Jump Force is looking like a pretty good title. The thought of everyone’s favorite anime or manga characters coming together is enough to get everyone’s nostalgia train rolling. With nice graphics and easy to use fighting controls, Jump Force is looking like a game everyone can enjoy. Whether or not you like Manga or Anime, in its current state we recommend keeping your sights on Jump Force.
