Jojo's Bizarre Adventure has passed multiple landmarks this year. For instance, the manga will celebrate its thirty-fifth anniversary, and the anime will celebrate its tenth! To commemorate the occasion, Bandai-Namco launched a remastered version of its ultimate dream match, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R.
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While ASBR's gameplay heavily draws from its source material, you can still enjoy the game without prior Jojo knowledge. For example, the mechanics mirror several anime fighter features, such as auto-combos, perfect guards, and attack-canceling maneuvers. With these beginner tips, you'll be more than ready to stand against Dio and his vampiric followers!
After eight parts spanning two branching timelines, Jojo's characters have touted various skills. First, of course, you're likely most familiar with Stands, a trademark psychic ability in the series. However, in the early parts of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, heroes used a unique technique, Hamon, which manipulated one's life energy through breathing. That's not to mention distinctive entries, like Steel Ball Run, which featured jockeys who controlled stands while riding horses.
So, when you examine ASBR's massive fifty-fighter roster, you'll notice that each character uses a distinct gameplay style. For example, Hamon characters, like Jonathan Joestar, can charge their Heart Heat Gauge with a push of a button, similar to Extra Mode from KOF '98. However, Stand-using characters, like Jotaro Kujo, cannot charge their Heart Heat Gauge but tout expanded techniques from their stand (think Persona 4 Arena).
In short, depending on what part of the series your fighter is from, they may feel like you're playing a very different game. Therefore, if a character uses a style you're unfamiliar with, take some extra time to fiddle with these mechanics in Practice mode.
Like many anime fighters, ASBR has an auto-combo system to help players jump into battle. All you must do is press the light attack button repeatedly. If your Heart Heat Gauge has at least one bar stocked, the combo will end in a Heart Heat Attack. Otherwise, the combo will end in a special move.
Easy Beat is excellent for beginner fighters since it takes the emphasis off command input so new players can focus on strategy. However, this ploy can become predictable, so graduating from Easy Beats should become a priority for players who want to improve.
Luckily, if you break down an Easy Beat, you'll discover that it's a straightforward combo structure. Easy Beats play out like this:
Furthermore, while ASBR does not use a data combo system, the timing between each move is less rigid. As a rule, you should wait for one attack to hit before entering the following input. As for Heart Heat and Great Heart Attacks, these moves cancel most specials and normal attacks.
Once you master this sequence, you can develop new combos that are less predictable than an Easy Beat and far more satisfying to pull off!
At first glance, Great Heart Attacks look identical to other high-level super combos from other games. For instance, you need at least two bars of Heart Heat Gauge to perform a GHA. However, GHAs are unique because their potency increase with the amount of Heart Heat Gauge stock built before the attack. The skill has three levels:
Outside an NRS game like Mortal Kombat or Injustice, environmental hazards are not a prominent feature in 2D fighting games. However, each stage in ASBR has a unique gimmick that pays homage to moments in the manga. For example, in Dio's Castle, a chandelier can fall from the ceiling. And in the Pillar Man Battlefield, a chariot carried by vampiric horses can run down a fighter.
Any area on the stage prone to a stage gimmick features a red mark. However, each gimmick has different conditions to execute. Furthermore, while some gimmicks happen once per match, others can occur repeatedly. Therefore, you should practice with every stage to anticipate gimmicks and use them to your advantage. Luring an opponent into a gimmick is a fantastic way to deal significant damage and reverse pressure.
Are you tired of stage gimmicks? You can turn them off in Versus, Arcade, and Practice modes.
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One of ASBR's new features is the inclusion of an assist character. Suppose you've ever played a Marvel Vs. Capcom game, this system is similar. An assist character is a partner you can call to assist you in battle. There are two types of assist attacks:
After performing an assist, your partner needs a fixed amount of time to cool down before they can help again. Furthermore, your partner has a limited number of assist attacks they can offer. But these uses will recover between rounds. (For more information, refer to the Term Explanations section of the Options menu).
Assist attacks are a stellar ace to keep up your sleeve in challenging moments. On the one hand, a reversal assist can give you a chance to breathe when an opponent is mercilessly assaulting you. And on the other hand, assault assists serve an offensive advantage by throwing off opponents and extending combos.
Most, if not all, fighting games have taunts you can execute to goad opponents. Usually, however, these taunts serve no purpose outside the excessive flourish. Luckily, taunts have more impact in ASBR. Like in the Jojo manga and anime, taunting can heavily affect opponents. In particular, taunting a downed opponent will steal a bar of their HHA gauge and give it to you. Plus, you get a super cool character close-up moment out of it!
Of course, this feature has some caveats. This unique taunt gets only one use per match. Furthermore, its timing is precise. You must activate the taunt as the opponent hits the ground. An input that's too early or late will whiff the taunt entirely and leave you vulnerable to an attack.
ASBR has a very offensive feel to it. When you're not throwing off opponents with a well-timed stylish evade, you'll want to apply as much pressure as possible to keep them from attacking. Therefore, longer combos have a lot of value in battle. So, if you want to extend a combo string, or break up a more predictable one, take advantage of a flash cancel!
Flash cancels, performed by pressing three attack buttons at once, cancel your current attack in progress so you can swiftly shift to a different action. If you're looking for a parallel to reference, think of it like a simplified Roman Cancel ala Guilty Gear.
Some skills cannot be Flash Canceled.
If you're a Jojo fan, you know that style is everything. For instance, Hirohiko Araki, the series creator, draws plenty of inspiration from pop culture and high fashion. In turn, Araki's heroes and villains don elaborate outfits and taunt opponents while executing poses straight from a Gucci ad campaign.
So, of course, when ASBR's characters go on the defensive, they do it with flair and pizazz! The game offers two advanced guarding mechanics, Stylish Evade and Stylish Guard, that can reverse pressure and dodge opponent attacks. Both mechanics are similar but work a little differently.
Considering the timing required to pull these techniques off, you'll want to get comfortable with normal guarding and dodging before incorporating these stylish mechanisms into matches. However, once you feel comfortable, you can use a stylish guard or evade in tight situations to mess with your opponent's head.
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