All-Star Battle

"Keep Fighting with Style!"

- Tagline

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 オールスターバトル) is a fighting game based on the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise, developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game was released exclusively for the PlayStation 3 on August 29, 2013 in Japan, April 25, 2014 in Europe, and April 29, 2014 in North America.

All-Star Battle and its downloadable content were removed from the European in early 2018, with the Japanese and North American editions following suit on August 2, 2022. As a result, the game's online functionality has been terminated.

A remastered version titled All-Star Battle R was announced during the PlayStation State of Play event on March 9, 2022 and released worldwide in early September 2022. The remaster features 10 new playable characters, several new modes, updated voice acting, anime-accurate color schemes, and minor changes to the game's mechanics.

Summary
All-Star Battle was announced on July 5, 2012 alongside the anime in a press conference for Hirohiko Araki JoJo Exhibition 2012 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the series. The game includes major characters from each of the series' eight arcs, with the protagonist of Baoh the Visitor eventually added as a guest character.

All-Star Battle was the winner of the 2012 and received a 40/40 score from, making it both the only licensed video game and the only fighting game to receive a perfect score from the magazine.

The Japanese animation studio was in charge of some of the character modeling and 3D motion. In order to reproduce Araki's unique art style in the game, a proprietary shading engine called "JOJO Shading Requiem" was developed. The name 'Requiem' comes from the fact that the initial shading program was discarded and reborn. In addition, to express the 'JoJo-esque' action in terms of motion, the game was deliberately created at 30 frames per second instead of 60 frames per second. However, it was changed to 60 frames per second in its remaster, All-Star Battle R.

All-Star Battle released with a standard version and limited edition "Gold Experience Box". The Gold Experience Box included the game, a golden plate engraved with an illustration by Hirohiko Araki of Giorno Giovanna and Gold Experience as well as an acrylic case, a DXF Jotaro Kujo and Star Platinum figure, and the official soundtrack on a CD resembling the DISC of Star Platinum extracted by Whitesnake.

Both the limited edition and pre-orders of the standard edition included a download code for Yoshikage Kira on a booklet designed to look like Hayato Kawajiri affected by Heaven's Door. Italian pre-order versions of the game shipped with an alternative "From Italy with Style" version of the box art featuring Giorno Giovanna and Gold Experience.

Basic Gameplay
All-Star Battle is a one-on-one 2.5D fighting game with 3D cel-shaded characters. Gameplay in All-Star Battle shares similarities with Heritage for the Future, and boasts a wide variety of different styles, rules, and abilities among each individual fighter.

Like a typical fighting game, the player wins a round by either draining the opponent's health or by having more health than the opponent when time runs out. Battles can either be one round, the best out of three rounds, or the best out of five rounds.

The game uses six main buttons: light attack, medium attack, heavy attack, rotate/dodge, "Style", and taunt. Buttons can be reconfigured in the game's Option Mode. Combos can be chained with light, medium, and heavy attacks.

Gauges
The has three main gauges, although some characters have their own unique gauge as well.

Health: The Health/Stamina gauge displays how much damage a character can receive before being K.O. or Retired.

Guard: The Guard gauge displays how long a character can continuously block incoming attacks. If too much Guard damage is sustained and the gauge is depleted, a "Guardbreak" will occur, shattering a character's defense which leaves them staggered and vulnerable to attack. Successfully executing Stylish Evades also depletes the Guard Gauge in large portions. If no Guard damage is taken for a period of time, the Guard Gauge will slowly regenerate.

Heart Heat Gauge: The Heart Heat Gauge (shortened to "HHG") is a special meter that allows characters to perform strong techniques and other special abilities. It is filled by dealing and receiving damage as well as through other actions, and stocks up to a maximum of three levels. One stock of Heart Heat can be used to perform a Heart Heat Attack (ハートヒートアタック), while two stocks can be used to perform a Great Heat Attack (グレートヒートアタック).

An opponent's HHG can be depleted by executing a taunt while they are knocked down.

Character-Specific Displays
Some characters also have extra icons/gauges near the Heart Heat Gauge with different, unique functions.


 * Joseph Joestar has a Trick system or "Guess I did it again!" Level ("またまたやらせていただきましたァン"レベル) that makes any of his Ripple-based and Ripple-enhanced attacks permanently stronger every time he counters with three different abilities, with the level capping at 3.
 * Vanilla Ice has a Stand Power Gauge (スタンドパワーゲージ) that shows how much his powerful Cream can be used.
 * Akira Otoishi has a Power Gauge ("電力"ゲージ) that ties in with Red Hot Chili Pepper's available strength and ability power.
 * Shigekiyo Yangu has an icon showing if Harvest is in Offensive or Defensive Formation, which determines the abilities he can use.
 * Guido Mista has an Ammunition Icon for the number of bullets he has left in his revolver's cylinder, and a Pistols Icon above showing which and how many of his Sex Pistols are currently available for use.
 * Pannacotta Fugo has a Capsule Icon showing which of Purple Haze's six bulbs containing its Homicidal Virus are available or broken.
 * Ermes Costello has an icon showing the stickers applied to herself at the current time when she uses her "Here's where ya stick it!" ability.
 * Enrico Pucci has a Green Baby Gauge ("緑の赤ちゃん"ゲージ) that displays 14 rhombus-shaped icons and his progress towards evolving Whitesnake into C-MOON.
 * Johnny Joestar has a Tusk's Growth icon displaying his Stand's current ACT, up to ACT4, as well as a Tusk Icon showing his Golden Spin nail bullet ammunition for Tusk ACT2 and beyond.
 * Gyro Zeppeli has Steel Ball Icon displaying which of his 2 Steel Balls are in his possession for use, and a Spin Gauge (回転ゲージ) that ties in with the strength and properties of attacks utilizing said Steel Balls.

Battle Style
Every character is assigned a Battle Style (バトルスタイル), which determines the effects and abilities attached to their Style button. There are 6 Battle Style types:


 * Ripple (波紋): Ripple Users can charge their Heart Heat Gauges with the "Ripple Breath" ability, and spend Heart Heat to execute enhanced versions of their various special skills if the Style button is used instead of an Attack button when inputting said moves. Ripple-enhanced skills typically consume 1/4 of a Heart Heat gauge.
 * Vampirism (吸血): Vampires can utilize specific attacks that allow them to steal their opponent's health using inputs involving the Style button. Whenever they take damage, especially from combos, a portion of the lost health will appear silver, and will automatically regenerate over time if no more damage is taken for a certain period.
 * Mode: Mode Users can activate special states with a press of the Style button that spend Heart Heat at a fixed rate to automatically enhance their attacks and trigger other passive bonuses. Whenever they take damage, especially from combos, a portion of the lost health will appear silver, and will automatically regenerate over time if no more damage is taken for a certain period.
 * Stand (スタンド): Stand users can switch between "Stand Off" and "Stand On" states at will using the Style button, summoning and dismissing their Stand to shift their available set of special abilities. While in Stand Off state, Heart Heat can also be spent for Stand users to perform 'Quick Stand On', instantly summoning their Stand during normal attacks for a seamless switch to Stand On. While in Stand On state, they can utilize the Stand Rush mechanic, spending Heart Heat to disconnect from their Stand in the middle of certain attacks to deliver joint attacks and other maneuvers. If successfully knocked down, Stand users will be forced into Stand Off state.
 * Mounted (騎乗): Mounted characters can mount and dismount from their horse at will using the Style button, altering their mobility and some of their available abilities. Mounted characters cannot Throw but also cannot be Thrown while on horseback. While unmounted, Heart Heat can be spent for Mounted characters to perform 'Quick Mount', instantly summoning their horse during normal attacks for a seamless switch in the middle of attacking, and potentially knock their opponent into the air. If knockback is sustained, Mounted characters will be forcibly dismounted from their horse.
 * Baoh Armed Phenomenon (バオー): Exclusive to Ikuro Hashizawa. Baoh gains passive health regeneration that is boosted with every 25% health he loses, signified by the various changes in colors his Health Gauge undergoes. At a tap of the Style button, he can also spend Heart Heat to grant himself super armor during his next special skill, allowing him to power through most incoming attacks when he executes said skill without getting interrupted.

For example, Jotaro's Style summons his Stand Star Platinum, a signature trait among most with the "Stand" Style. Young Joseph's allows him to utilize the Ripple to charge his Heart Heat Gauge using the ability "Ripple Breath", shared among all "Ripple" Style characters.

The majority of characters have only one Style, excluding DIO (Stand, Vampirism), Old Joseph (Ripple/Hamon, Stand), and Vanilla Ice (Stand, Vampirism). Although Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli also use Stands, their Style is only Mounted.

Character Attributes
Some characters have special attributes and abilities of their own.


 * Jonathan Joestar can perform "This is my final Ripple!", which at the cost of a stock of the HHG, replenishes some of his health after an initial K.O. and makes all of his special moves their Ripple-enhanced variations for free, though he loses access to his Heart Heat Gauge once revived.
 * Hol Horse receives a decrease in offensive power and a boost to HHG generation if he is fighting a female character (passive effect referred to as "Hol Horse loves the ladies!").
 * Josuke Higashikata 4 can have a temporary defense and offense boost along with super armor if a counter that causes the opponent to insult his hair (named "Watch your mouth!") succeeds, though he cannot defend and is forced to walk forward while this ability is active.
 * Guido Mista will lose Heart Heat if he suffers damage while he has 4 bullets left ("Unlucky Number 4").
 * When in a match, Johnny Joestar, Gyro Zeppeli, and Funny Valentine can collect Holy Corpse Parts scattered around the stage that grant passive bonuses to stats and access to new special abilities. They each gain unique benefits for every part they currently have, but lose a part each time they are successfully knocked down. They need to collect and hold three parts of the Corpse in exchange for their final advantage in the fight.
 * Johnny's Heart Heat Gauge charges much faster once collecting all three Parts.
 * Once Gyro has collected a singular Corpse Part, he can use "Scan", a new attack that deals substantial damage. After getting all three, he has an unlimited Steel Ball gauge and permanent Golden Spin Mode.
 * Once Valentine has collected at least two Corpse Parts, he will take reduced damage from all sources. After getting all three, he will activate "D4C Love Train", further reducing damage taken and automatically nullifying most projectiles. Certain special moves by D4C will execute faster, greatly improving Valentine's combo utility.
 * If he is holding all three Corpse Parts and has three stocks of the Heart Heat Gauge, Valentine can completely restore his health to full using an ability called "Back from the 'other side'", in exchange for losing all of the Corpse Parts as well as access to his HHG.

Rush Mode
Much like Heritage for the Future's "Blazing Fists Match", if two attacks- typically barrages, clash, the two fighters will enter a cinematic minigame called Rush Mode (ラッシュモード) featuring them or their Stands dramatically exchanging blows as they shout their Stand Cry.

The players must rapidly push the light button to fill a shared bar with their color, and the one who fills the bar more wins the exchange and knocks their opponent back, dealing a small amount of damage. Characters that can enter Rush Mode are Jonathan, Jotaro, Polnareff, DIO, Josuke, Giorno, Bucciarati, Mista, Narancia, Jolyne, Johnny, and Josuke (JoJolion).

Rumble Mode & Resolve Mode
Characters receive an automatic boost to their stats when their health is critically low, with the character's health flashing red while in Rumble Mode or flashing gold in Resolve Mode.
 * Rumble Mode (ゴゴゴモード): Activated at 25% health. Attack power increases and Guard and Heart Heat Gauges fill up faster
 * Resolve Mode (覚悟モード): Activated at 15% health. In addition to the benefits of Rumble Mode, a character will gain super armor during their attacks, allowing them to continue attacking uninterrupted even when hit by non-Throws/HHA/GHA. Only 5 characters in the game can access this mode: Giorno, Bruno, Mista, Fugo, and Ermes.

Downloadable Content
Yoshikage Kira was initially released as a bonus character for pre-order versions of the game before eventually being released as proper downloadable content on December 3, 2013. Shigekiyo Yangu was the first character made available for download, being included in the The Darkness That Haunts Morioh (杜王町に巣食う闇) campaign on August 29, 2013. Iggy and Pannacotta Fugo were included in the The Ferocious Beasts (どう猛な野獣) campaign on September 12 of the same year, with Lisa Lisa and Old Joseph following them on September 26 as part of the The Ripple Masters (波紋の達人) campaign. Vanilla Ice and Narciso Anasui were released on October 2 as part of the The Executioners of Terror (恐怖の処刑人) campaign. The game's fifth and final campaign, the This! Is! Baoh!! (これが！バオーだッ!!) campaign, launched on November 14 and added guest character Ikuro Hashizawa to the game's roster.

The game's downloadable characters were released out-of-order in the European and North American versions. Lisa Lisa and Old Joseph were released internationally on April 29, 2014, followed by Ikuro Hashizawa on May 13. Vanilla Ice, Pannacotta Fugo, and Narciso Anasui followed suit on May 20, with Iggy releasing one week later. Yoshikage Kira and Shigekiyo Yangu, the first downloadable characters in Japan, became the last to be released internationally on June 3, 2014.

Johnny's fourth special costume, referencing his appearance on the cover of SBR Chapter 95, was made available as a download code during Banpresto's Steel Ball Run Ichiban Kuji campaign in Japan on October 12, 2013. In the international editions, the costume instead served as a pre-order bonus, in lieu of an exclusive character. To promote the upcoming release of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure HD Ver., additional alternate costumes for Jotaro Kujo and Jean Pierre Polnareff based on promotional artwork for the arcade game were made available for purchase in Japan on December 19, 2013.

Game Modes
All-Star Battle contains the following game modes:

Stages
There are 12 stages, with each Part having one or two to represent it. There is also one special stage only accessible as a result of a character's moveset.

Each stage has its own Stage Hazard (ステージギミック). Stage Hazards are activated by someone being knocked down over a glowing point on the ground of the stage. Whenever it is activated, a series of colored manga panels will appear. Some hazards occur continuously in set intervals after they have been triggered, while others only occur once during the entire battle and have more severe effects. Stage Hazards can be turned off on the Stage Select screen. Finishing a character with a HHA or GHA knocking them back in a specific direction will trigger a Situation Finish (シチュエーションフィニッシュ), a special cutscene that depicts the losing character's defeat as a reference to the original story.

Campaign Mode Surprise Supports
Searching= Normal Search:
 * The Well-Connected Informant: The Cairo Informant offers to allow the player to select a boss as their next opponent, at the cost of two bars of energy.
 * Janken Boy is Coming!: Ken Oyanagi challenges the player to a game of rock-paper-scissors. Paying one extra bar of energy will take away one of Ken's options, and paying two energy bars will leave Ken with only one choice. Winning will allow the player to select a boss as their next opponent.

Boss Search: Pre-Fight= Post-Fight= Victory:
 * Tamami Kobayashi, the Collector: Tamami Kobayashi activates The Lock, allowing the player to earn an additional Customize Medal in the upcoming fight.
 * Scatter Your Mold, Green Day!: Cioccolata activates Green Day, increasing the damage the player can deal to a boss's health. Spending a bar of energy allows him to boost the effect.
 * I Wanna Protect You: F.F. offers the player a choice: she can either deal 150 damage to a boss's health (without defeating them) or replenish one bar of the player's energy.
 * Dire, the Ripple Warrior: Dire performs his signature Thunder Split Attack, reducing the opponent's health by 40%. The player can pay an additional bar of energy to have him perform Thunder Cross Split Attack instead, reducing the opponent's health by 60%.
 * Germanic Pride: Rudol von Stroheim tears into the opponent with his Abdominal Machine Gun, reducing their health by 40%.
 * The Road to Ruin!: Devo the Cursed activates Ebony Devil, granting the player higher attack power. By paying up to two bars of energy, the player can increase the strength of the effect.
 * The Magic Lamp: Judgement allows the player to pay two bars of energy to activate three random support effects.
 * D'Arby the Gambler: Daniel J. D'Arby lets the player choose one of ten cards, with nine revealing an image of D'Arby and one showing Iggy's face. Picking a D'Arby card will allow the player to earn an additional Customize Medal in the upcoming fight.
 * Toshikazu Hazamada (Surface): Toshikazu Hazamada activates Surface, duplicating one of the player's obtained support effects.
 * May the Dragon's Dream Burn: Dragon's Dream offers to activate a random support effect, at the cost of one bar of energy.
 * Wreck On, Wrecking Ball: Wekapipo offers to activate Wrecking Ball and disable the opponent's Heart Heat Gauge, at the cost of one bar of energy.
 * The Witch's Tarot: Enya the Hag offers the player a choice between five tarot cards, with two displaying Enya's face and one showing Iggy's. The player can pay up to two bars of energy, removing one losing card for each energy bar. If the player selects an Enya card, Enya rewards the player with a random Customize Medal.
 * Let's Go Out for Italian: Tonio Trussardi serves the player a meal, restoring one bar of energy.
 * A Man in Five Billion: Pocoloco shares his luck with the player, refilling all ten of their energy bars.

Defeat:
 * Lessons from George Joestar: George Joestar I grants the player an automatic S rank if they win the next battle.
 * A Man's World: Ringo Roadagain offers to let the player retry the previous battle by activating Mandom.

Manual
All-Star Battle US Instruction Manual.pdf

Localization
Some of the names of characters and Stands are altered in non-Japanese territories to avoid copyright lawsuits. Bandai Namco aimed to change the legally-risky names while keeping the patterns Hirohiko Araki aimed for. According to Bandai Namco Europe, these name changes were approved by Araki.

Trivia

 * CyberConnect2 president and CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama explained that All-Star Battle was conceived “partly thanks to” the 2006 video game JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood. Following that game's release, the idea of a new game involving all the Parts came to the team.
 * Prior to the game's launch, an official computer-player tournament dubbed the All-Star Battle League was hosted by CyberConnect2. The tournament was announced on June 9, 2013 during the game's fifth trailer, and ran from July 3 to August 28 of the same year. Ultimately, DIO defeated Jotaro Kujo to win the tournament, and a special PlayStation 3 theme was released to commemorate the tournament's conclusion.
 * In the English localization, Joseph Joestar's victory quote against Lisa Lisa is translated as, "Why did it have to come to this?! You are tearing me APART, Lisa Lisa!" The translated line is a reference to, in which a major character yells a similar line at another character named Lisa.