MY HERO ONE'S JUSTICE - PS4

Thank goodness the days of lazy license cash-ins are behind us and superhero fans are free to get on with the business of bashing baddies in massively over-the-top ways without having to wince at sloppy visuals and unlikely gameplay mechanics any more. My Hero One's Justice is a pyrotechnic beat-'em-up that leans hard into the fun of having superheroes punch each other through buildings.

Based on the mega popular My Hero Academia, One's Justice is a loving nod to the American superhero genre. Despite being a thoroughly Japanese production, Western fans have flocked to the franchise for its playful treatment of US superheroes, and here that plays out in epic fights that could put a Superman/Doomsday bout to shame. Following in the footsteps of the likes of New Mutants, it has superheroes of all stripes learning how to save the world together, and getting mixed up in all sorts of shenanigans in the process.

Rather than going with traditional side scrolling matches in the style of Street Fighter or Dragon Ball FighterZ, My Hero One's Justice goes for the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm way of doing things. 3D battle arenas are the order of the day, with positioning and timing of a handful of easily-activated moves taking precedence over learning fiddly combo strings. There's also a 'sidekick' mechanic that means you can pick a couple of characters to dip in at strategic moments to back you up during a fight.

The game features a character roster sure to make fans of the source material drool, including Chizome Akaguro (Hero Killer: Stain); Dabi; Denki Kaminari; Eijiro Kirishima; Endeavor; Fumikage Tokoyami; Gran Torino; Himiko Toga; Izuku Midoriya; Katsuki Bakugo; Kyoka Jiro; Momo Yaoyorozu; Muscular; Ochaco Uraraka; Shota Aizawa; Shoto Todoroki; Tenya Iida; Tomura Shigaraki; Toshinori Yagi (All Might) and Tsuyu Asui.

With a deep bench of characters, massive moves and destructable environments, this is the spectacle My Hero Academia deserves. more