Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has spawned all kinds of adaptations, but its early gaming ventures? Now those are a trip. We’re diving into two very different takes on Stardust Crusaders: one an SNES JRPG that remixes the story in weird ways, the other a later far flashier love letter to the series. First up? We're gonna talk about that bizarre, ambitious and deeply experimental RPG.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

SNES (JRPG)

The game’s split into two main parts: exploration and battles. Exploration plays like a stripped down adventure game where you move left or right on a horizontal plane, interacting with objects and NPCs to progress. The camera’s fixed, so you’re only seeing a slice of the environment at a time, which feels restrictive but kinda works for the era. You’ll spend a lot of time checking items, talking to randos for hints and managing your inventory, y'know, standard RPG stuff but with a JoJo flair. The biorhythm system adds a neat layer where characters' performance fluctuates based on their stress levels, which is a cool touch even if it doesn't always feel impactful.  

Battles are turn based with a twist. Instead of just whacking enemies, you can talk trash to damage their morale (MP) or use tarot cards to predict lucky items. There's also a guts mechanic where holding back for a turn unlocks stronger attacks or special moves inspired by the manga. It's creative but the execution's a bit stiff, expect a lot of menu navigation and waiting for tactics to unlock. The card based buffs before fights add some RNG, which can either spice things up or annoy you depending on luck.  

If you know Stardust Crusaders prepare for some whiplash. The game cuts corners everywhere, swapping settings, removing key moments and even axing entire characters (RIP Anne and Steely Dan). Some changes are understandable due to hardware limits, like turning Strength's boat into a mansion or having vampires pop up randomly. Others are just… weird.

The core crew (Jotaro, Joseph, Avdol, Kakyoin, Polnareff, and Iggy) are playable, each with their Stand abilities loosely translated into RPG mechanics. They level up, equip items and gain stats like a typical JRPG party, tho their personalities shine through in battle quotes and interactions. The villains pop up in shuffled order, with some getting more screen time while others are reduced to cameos. However, the sprite work and manga accurate portraits do a good job capturing the vibe.   

English

 

Español

PlayStation / Arcade (Fighter)

Now, there's a complete different game called Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and based on Stardust Crusaders as well. CAPCOM just took that story and turned into something fast, fluid and packed with the kind of style the manga deserved. It was made by the same team behind STREET FIGHTER III and Darkstalkers, and it shows 'cuz this game oozes style.

So, this is a fighting game through and through but with a twist… Stands! Every character (well, almost) can summon or dismiss their Stand mid fight, drastically changing their moveset. Some Stands are always active while others can be toggled for rushdown combos or kept off for mobility. The risk reward is real, if your Stand gets wrecked, you’re left wide open for a beatdown. There’s also a Blazing Fists mechanic where button mashing clashes decide who lands a brutal counter and secret Stand Crash states that turn fights into scrambles. It’s deep, flashy and very JoJo.

CAPCOM went all out with the art. Sprites are ripped straight from Araki’s panels, super moves end with manga style portraits and even the UI oozes JoJo flair. Araki himself redesigned Midler for the game and it shows, every frame oozes his signature exaggerated poses and dramatic shading. The PlayStation port downgrades some animations tho.

The Super Story Mode is the standout here. It’s a full retelling of Stardust Crusaders, complete with QTEs, minigames and fights that recreate manga moments you wouldn’t expect in a fighter. Ever played a shoot 'em up as Star Platinum vs. Forever? Or gambled against D’Arby in a poker minigame?

This game gets JoJo. The mechanics mirror Stand battles perfectly, the fan service is relentless but it’s not perfect, the load times drag and some balance is whack, but it’s the closest any game has come to capturing Araki’s chaos. If you’ve ever wanted to Ora Ora someone into orbit, this is your bible.

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