One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
Fun but flawed cartoon brawler based on anime series.
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One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows is an action and fighting game based on the Japanese anime and manga series for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PCs. Players customize a character and engage in tag-team fights against villains in 3D arena-style environments. There's a lot of violence, as players will use fists and feet to defeat enemies, as well as weapons (like swords) and magic blasts. Some blood can be seen in some cutscenes. The game has some female (but nonhuman) characters with exaggerated breasts (or very revealing outfits) and some mild profanity (words like "ass" and "bastard").
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What’s It About?
Based on the manga webcomic and popular anime television series, ONE PUNCH MAN: A HERO NOBODY KNOWS is a 3-on-3 action-fighting game hybrid, where players form teams to take on an opposing team. If they choose to play as Saitama -- the main superhero from the One Punch Man universe who can defeat any opponent with a single punch -- the other characters must survive long enough against enemies for Saitama to arrive through the Hero Arrival mechanic. Many other familiar characters are in the game, as well, including Hellish Blizzard, Vaccine Man, Mosquito Girl,Terrible Tornado, and more. But you spend most of your time playing as a custom character (with a variety of choices in face, body, and clothing options) who wants to become a superhero. Depending on your character's abilities, you'll use melee weapons (like a bat or sword), magic attacks (like energy blasts), and, of course, punches and kicks, to defeat human and nonhuman enemies in a variety of locations. As you'd expect, your goal is to deplete the life meter of enemies -- especially through chained moves and combo attacks -- and finish them with a knock-out move in slow motion for dramatic effect.
Is It Any Good?
This somewhat fun (and funny) game excels in some areas and falls short in others. Only major fans of the franchise will appreciate the faithful attention to detail present in One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows. The combat is fun and has some depth to it: Button-mashing will only get you so far. You'll enjoy the wide selection of characters to choose from, along with nine different fighting styles (called "Battle Modes"). In light RPG (role-playing game) fashion, these fighting styles can be upgraded during normal missions, along with extra quests you'll unlock. It's cool to try to stave off tough opponents until you see your backup help arrive, running to the scene in a picture-in-picture window with a countdown timer.
But most of the noncombat elements of this third-person game are somewhat lame, like roaming around town, talking to characters, and unraveling more of the story. It's also repetitive. The only exception, perhaps, is decorating your own apartment, which is fun. As you can tell, this game is a bit of a mixed bag. Same goes for the graphics: The fighting scenes are nicely animated, and overall the cel-shaded graphics looks very close to the television show, but the cutscenes look dated, with awkward or stiff animation. There's also a multiplayer mode, for both local play and online, with several options, but this game's mostly focused on the single-player story mode, which should last you 10 to 12 hours. If you're a huge fan of the anime series and are looking for a decent brawler to pass the time, you might get something out of One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows. But for everyone else, there are simply much better action and fighting games to consider.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the violence in One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows affected by the inclusion of blood in some cutscenes? Is this necessary for the story, or could it have been left out?
Would One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows be any less desirable if it didn't have female characters with disproportionately large breasts? Why include that in the game? Is this more accurate to the anime series? Why do you think characters are shown like this?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Bandai Namco
- Release date: February 27, 2020
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Sports and Martial Arts, Adventures, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- ESRB rating: T for Violence, Suggestive Themes, Mild Language, Mild Blood
- Last updated: March 24, 2020
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