Jump Super Stars

In order to understand the deck-building aspect of Ganbarion’s Jump games, one must understand the Koma that make up the decks. There are three usable types in both of games. A Koma’s categorization is based on size; most characters have Koma of different sizes, and thus can be used in different ways, but a single character can only appear in a deck once.

Help Koma are only one block in size. When clicked, they provide the player’s character with a buff in exchange for one stock of the super meter. For example, they may heal your character or provide temporary invincibility or invisibility. A select few have a passive effect instead, and so are not subject to this problem. Since only one status effect can be applied at a time, a wide variety of Help Koma is not immensely useful in and of itself.

Support Koma range from two to three blocks in size. Since only one Koma of any given size is available for each character, each character can only have two possible Support Koma. At the cost of one stock, a Support Koma will summon the character to perform some sort of attack or ability. Many Support Koma place temporary debuffs on opponents if the attack lands. Some of these are quite brutal, such as disabling normal attacks or blanking the opponent’s main screen. However, only one debuff is allowed at a time and some Help Koma cure all status effects, so Help Koma and item boxes are easy counters.

Battle Koma range from four to eight in size. Since they’re so large and Koma cannot be rotated, players will often find themselves building a deck around a desired character. There is no character select in Ganbarion’s Jump games; clicking Battle characters in the deck takes that role. Koma of increasing size provide the character with a larger health bar and different – although not necessarily better – super attacks. Each has their own health bar and recovers slowly when not currently in play. If all the Battle characters in a deck are KOed in a Time game, the player loses an additional point, so the player is encouraged to choose multiple characters that complement each other.

Even if you don’t feel like experimenting with Help and Support Koma, there is a simpler way to use them. Each Battle character receives a boost to their maximum health if certain other characters are placed adjacent to them. If the boosting character is a Support or Battle character, there is also a boost to the maximum special meter, which is shared for all characters in the deck. This maximum can be increased by well over a dozen. This is also a good way to get value out of space that you would otherwise not use.

There are additional concerns when selecting playable characters for a deck beyond just which you like best. Battle characters come in three types themselves: Power, Knowledge, and Laughter. Each type deals extra damage to the next in standard rock-paper-scissors mechanic fashion. While it might seem obvious to have one battle character of each type, that would also limit the size of the characters you could use. These mechanics increase the depth of deck building and gently discourage players from sticking to just one favourite character.

The story mode consists of several sets of missions, something like the single-player modes found in the Soul Caliburfranchise. The goal is not necessarily just to defeat the enemies. It’s a bit tricky to complete the game without knowledge of Japanese or a guide because of this. The tutorial is simple and is not extremely long, but the amount of text may be intimidating and the player should still be looking for button prompts. The player will also likely struggle to figure out the effects of many Koma if they don’t use the guide. But the game can still be completed in full if the player makes an effort to figure the different mission conditions out.

While many of the conditions for a stage are optional, clearing them unlocks additional Koma. One-block Koma can be used as-is, but players have to first insert the appropriate one-block character into larger, incomplete Koma – called a Serif Koma – in order to permanently transform them into their usable form. It’s not so bad if you are familiar with the appropriate manga series, but it’s pointless tedium if you are not. This is easily the game’s worst feature, though it obviously ceases to be a problem when all the Koma have been prepared.

Another flaw with the game is the stage design. All of the stages in the game are rather plain. Perhaps their unanimated background is inspired by a certain manga, but their unique gameplay features are pretty boring – there are slippery stages, moving platforms, conveyor belts, nothing you haven’t seen before. It doesn’t compare to Super Smash Bros. at all in that regard. There are certainly many players who prefer their fighting game stages without “gimmicks”, but variety can be good thing as well.

While the super moves are distinctive, the playable characters don’t seem to be designed for a particular style of play as often as in traditional fighting games, perhaps due to the games’ pick-up-and-play nature. Still, many of the characters’ normal attacks have properties that differentiate them and make it worthwhile to learn them individually.

For example, some characters have pummelling attacks that are great when enemies bunch up. Others have projectiles or rushing moves. Some attacks can be powered up or holding down or mashing the attack button. Some characters have more unique attributes to their attacks, like Dio’s HP stealing grab or Gotenks’ binding rings.

While the game implements many different series, it handles them all with care. The smallest Koma feature only a character’s mugshot, but all of the rest are taken straight from the pages of the manga. Almost all of the characters’ attacks are also directly inspired by events and images from the manga. It’s a delight for fans to see an iconic or memetic scene recreated with a special move or summoned character. While the different series feature different art styles, they are all appear here with small, almost cute sprites, so the game does not feel visually jarring as a result.

Another interesting element of fanservice, if often an impractical one, is the Tag Attack. By connecting two characters with a set of three one-block Koma, the player can unleash a simultaneous attack with the two characters. What’s more, a unique special move is executed if certain pre-defined pairs are used. These moves are usually pretty clever. Some characters will combine similar attacks, such as Goku and Naruto’s signature energy blasts. Others play with the characters for humour, such as Kakashi introducing Gintoki to his erotica. One stand-out is Yugi and Bobobo: their combination attack was originally a cameo in the Bobobo manga. Unfortunately, this feature is absent in the sequel.

There are over 400 Koma usable in the game, and 34 distinct playable characters. Featured series without playable characters are Eyeshield 21, Strawberry 100%, Slam Dunk, Death Note, The Prince of Tennis, Hikaru no Go, and Mr. Fullswing.