Announced back in June, One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows is Bandai Namco’s latest 3-vs-3 fighting game featuring the TV anime series One Punch Man. At Gamescom 2019, Bandai Namco showcased a demo for the game at their booth, featuring six characters including Saitama!
▍Core of the Game
A Hero Nobody Knows is a 3-vs-3 fighting game that is similar to Jump Force. Players will be able to choose three characters for each fight and tag them in and out during the fight. The game will feature iconic characters from the series, from C rank heroes like Mumen Rider to S rank heroes like Tatsumaki (Terrible Tornado) Bang (Silverfang) as well as key villains in the game.
In the recent Gamescom trailer, Saitama was revealed alongside the unique conditions on using the strongest character in the series.
▍Gamescom Trailer
▍Gamescom Demo Impression
The demo available at Gamescom featured seven characters, Terrible Tornado, Silverfang, Genos, Mumen Rider, Speed-o’-Sound Sonic, and Saitama.
The main gameplay feels almost exactly like Jump Force which is almost typical of Bandai Namco, recycling resources from existing games to “new” games. The main selling point of the game is the One Punch Man IP and the game really does deliver in that front. Each of the characters in the roster inherits their distinct features from the series. For example, Mugen Rider performs normal punches as he has no powers and he can also ride around on his bike to avoid enemy attacks as well as using it as a weapon to attack enemies.
In comparison to other fighting games, A Hero Nobody Knows fully embraces the gag manga nature of the One Punch Man series. The game has a much lighter and casual tone to it which makes it quite appealing to fans of the series. The unique Saitama “Hero Arrives Late” system seems to be an interesting way to change the way players compete against one another, whether they risk it all for combos and perfect guards to get Saitama in the fight or to master a character and end the fight before Saitama arrives.
