In addition to its faithful adaptation of the manga's storyline, "One Punch Man: World" never forgets what made the series a global sensation in the first place: its top-tier combat sequences.
The combat system in "One Punch Man: World" sets it apart from the majority of ARPG games on the market. Each character has been meticulously designed with its own unique set of skills and mechanics that perfectly highlight its characteristics from the original manga. Take the example of Saitama, mentioned in the first part of this review. In battle, he is unable to launch regular attacks, relying solely on blocking and dodging to build up his ultimate ability gauge, which allows him to deliver a devastating one-punch strike to annihilate opponents.
The character Lightning Max, known for his lightning-fast kicks and the addition of gunpowder to his shoes in the manga, utilizes a unique "ignition" mechanic centered around the use of gunpowder in the game. When Max hits enemies during specific timing windows within his kicking ability, he ignites the gunpowder in his shoes, transforming his other two skills into a series of multi-hit attacks that consume gunpowder, greatly boosting his attack power.
This ignition mechanic allows Max to turn his ordinary combat skills into powerful flames and lightning, effectively reversing the tide of battle. It's a thrilling gameplay element that faithfully captures the essence of Lightning Max's abilities from the manga and adds an exciting strategic layer to his combat style in the game.
A similar dual-combat mode design can be seen in Genos. Being a cyborg, Genos possesses various body parts that can unleash projectiles as long-range weapons, while also being capable of close-quarters combat. The game has ingeniously incorporated two sets of skill systems for Genos. Once the close combat attack gauge is filled, players can switch Genos to long-range attack mode, allowing them to fire bullets and charged projectiles.
The game also shines in its design of each character's ultimate skill. The development team extensively studied the various attack moves of the characters in the manga, carefully selecting the most iconic and expressive ones to create real-time cinematic animations of considerable length. This is a rarity in the current action-oriented games that emphasize interactivity. Unlike the majority of ARPGs, which often incorporate Quick Time Events or short and swift finishing moves, playing One Punch Man: World allows you to witness the characters' ultimate skills in a style that resembles scenes from the original manga, along with immersive sound effects and vibrant colors, truly capturing the essence and power of the character's abilities.