LP Beach

Oh. You're approaching me? It would appear pigheadedness runs throughout the forum!

Hello, and welcome to a new let's play. I thought it would be interesting to do a text-based let's play of a fighting game. So, I had the idea to do a let's play of one I'm pretty familiar with. That being "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future".

As indicated by the title, this is a licensed fighting game based on the popular manga series (and more recently, anime), "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure". This game mostly adapts "Stardust Crusaders" (albeit loosely), which is Part 3 of the series, and arguably the most well-known and iconic arc of the entire franchise.

Of course, being an IP of such high caliber, the game needed to be made by someone respectable, and boy did they choose the right company. This game was made by Capcom. Yes, that Capcom. In fact, the game uses the same arcade board as Street Fighter III. Sounds like we're in good hands, no?

The game was a huge success in Japan, becoming the third most popular arcade game the year it came out, and is fondly remembered over there by fans. In America however, it's a bit of a different story. The game did release here in the States (more on that, later), but you see, JoJo had a hard time making its mark back then. Of course, the 1993 OVA got a limited release, but it wasn't advertised all that much, and this game released a whole 5 years after that. So it pretty much fell into obscurity.

That was until the 2012 anime was released, where the franchise saw a huge boom in popularity in the West, and became a huge sensation as a result. It was then that fans rediscovered this game, and it became an instant cult classic. Not only is it a good JoJo game, but it's also a solid and well-put-together fighting game in itself. Even today, there's still an active playerbase, and is one of the most popular games hosted on Fightcade.

Before we begin this let's play, there's two things I need to clarify first.

First off, I recommend watching the anime before starting. At least up to Stardust Crusaders. Otherwise, you'll be very confused as to what's going on. It's on Netflix and a couple other streaming services, so go do that if you have access. Alternatively, you can read the original manga, which is available officially both physically and digitally from your favorite retailer of choice.

Secondly, to keep things consistent, I'll be using localized names for everything (I.e. the names used in the official subtitles and the English dub, as well as the official scanlations of the manga), and I will change the dialogue accordingly where necessary. That means Hepburn romanization for the characters, and all the infamous names that were made up to avoid legal disputes. I know a lot of JoJo fans are purists, and hate it when people use the localized names unironically, but I do have my reasonings for this. First off, I prefer the dub, so I'm more familiar with the localized names (fight me). And secondly, this isn't going to matter all that much since A: the music references don't really amount to anything anyway, and B: Stardust Crusaders didn't have that many names that had to be changed in the first place (the music references didn't become all that apparent until Diamond is Unbreakable). To be fair, a lot of people who've watched JoJo are used to the localized names by now, so in theory, this shouldn't be much of an issue. I hope you guys understand.

So, with all of that out of the way, let's let our fists fly free and stand proud, and play JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future.

Before we actually start playing, I'd like to go over the different ways you can play this game, as there's quite a few of them. You can follow along with any version you want (to a certain degree), but it's worth knowing what the differences between them is.

First, we have the original arcade version, the one I'll be playing. There's two variants. The first one is simply titled "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", retitled to "JoJo's Venture" in America. This is the original version. It's got a smaller roster compared to the other versions and, basically put, isn't very optimal. But it's worth a cursory look at the least. Then there's its updated version "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future". This is the version I'll be playing. Curiously, using a mod switch to change the region on this version to "USA" reveals that there's an entire English localization on the ROM named "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" (confusing, I know). What's odd is that there's little-to-no evidence to suggest that this version was ever actually released in the States (as a conversion kit or otherwise). But hey, it's convenient for us, since we can actually read it to know what's going on.

If you want to play on original hardware, good luck with that. Not only is the game itself pretty rare, but CPS-3 machines are infamously hard to keep maintained. That's because of a pesky little unit on the board nicknamed "The Suicide Battery". This wonderful container of alkaline is how the game handled copy protection, as it held the decryption keys for the ROM itself. Fast forward to the modern day, and most of these batteries have since either died out, or exploded and corroded the entire board along with it. Fortunately, in more recent times, there's now a custom BIOS you can install that bypasses the battery, and also lets you play any CPS-3 game you want. Problem solved, sure, but it's a money sink.

Or you could just emulate it like most people do. Including myself.

Next, we have the PS1 and DreamCast ports. These are identical to the arcade version, but apparently is a bit more balanced, since everyone has the same amount of health, whereas in the original arcade version, everyone had different amounts of health. This is probably the most accessible version of the game as of right now. But that's not saying much, because I've seen copies of the US versions go for hundreds if not thousands of dollars on eBay. Sure, the Japanese version is usually cheaper, but along with the language barrier, both consoles are region locked. So you either have to somehow mod your system to bypass it, or import a Japanese console just so you can play it. Don't you just love the retro gaming market?

Lastly, we have the "HD" remaster. This was released digitally on both Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in 2012. Again, this is a mostly identical port, but with digitally enhanced sprites, netplay support, and some cool sidebar graphics to fill the screen real estate. Unfortunately, both versions were delisted in 2014 when Capcom lost the license to the JoJo IP, so if you wanted to get this legally, you're S-H-I-T out of luck.

First and foremost, let's go over how exactly the game works. Just like any other fighting game, your goal is to beat the ever-loving hell out of your opponent to drain their health bar. Best two out of three wins.

Press forward twice to dash, up to jump, down to crouch, and back to go backwards. You can also press back to block attacks. The game also accepts diagonal movement, but these are really only used for input commands and controlling your position while in midair.

This game uses a four-button layout, meaning there's four buttons that do different attacks. If you're using a fightstick with six buttons, many emulators (as well as the console ports) map the two extra buttons to macros. I'll get to that later. Oh, and if you're using a regular controller, you have access to the macros too. They're usually mapped to the shoulder buttons

However, you'll mainly be using three buttons to execute attacks. These correspond to three different punches: Light, Medium, and Hard. Light Punches come out extremely fast, but don't do that much damage. Medium Punches have a bit of startup lag, but do a good amount of damage. Hard Punches do the most damage, but they're slow, and take a good deal of frames for thier hitbox to show up. One important aspect of this game's meta is that you can also attack while in mid-air, which can lead to some crazy combos if you know what you're doing. Each character works differently, so experiment with them until you get a feel for how they play. Experimentation is the name of the game here.

Okay, so what does that fourth button do? Well, that brings us to the game's main mechanic: Stands. Pressing the button activates your character's Stand, and gives you a whole new set of tools to work with. First off, while your Stand is out, you can double jump (!). Secondly, many characters have what's called "Remote Mode". Hold forward and press Light twice, and you'll control your Stand independently from your character. The downside is that your character is left wide open during this, so if your opponent manages to hit you, they're free to wail on you. Press Stand to regain control of your character. However, keep in mind of your "Stand Gauge", which is the blue gauge underneath your health bar. Think of this as your Stand's own health bar. It goes down every time you get hit while your Stand is active. If it depletes, you go into "Stand Crash", a form of hitstun that leaves you wide open for your opponent to start a combo on you. Also, unlike in the actual series, all attacks can hit Stands, not just ones from other Stands. Had to take creative liberties somewhere.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Capcom fighting game without some command inputs that the game doesn't tell you about. Fortunately, most of them aren't too complicated; just your standard quarter and half circles with a few button presses here and there. Each character has their own set of commands, which I'll go over individually throughout this LP.  The console ports also have movelists in the pause menu, so feel free to look at them for reference if you need to.

Also, a few combinations of attacks connecting with each other activate what's known as a "Blazing Fists Match". A lot of these are references to scenes in the manga, though some are more obtuse than others, and seem more arbitrary than anything else. When this happens, the background goes orange, and cut-ins of both characters appear. During this, mash all the attack buttons as fast as you can. The player who mashes the most will deal massive damage to their opponent. In practice, you'll most likely never see this in casual play, and they're way too situational to be used competitively. But nonetheless, it's rewarding to come across them, especially if you understand what they're referencing. In HD, activating one for the first time unlocks an achievement.

Lastly, we have Specials. Same as commands, but they're expendable. You fill up a bar at the bottom of the screen by successfully landing attacks. You start each match with 1 full meter, and it caps out at 9, but you probably aren't going to fill it up that high. There are some benefits for saving your Special Meter, though. Most of these Specials are situational, but can serve as some very flashy finishers if you know how to land them.

Input Quarter-Circle Back + Stand to initiate a "Tandem Attack". Basically, this lets you string multiple Specials together while the Stand button is held. But you gotta be quick.

A nice thing about the bindings in the HD remaster (which is also what most emulator use by default) is that it's based on the color of the buttons on the Xbox layout. X (the blue button) is Light Punch, Y (the yellow button) is Medium Punch, B (the red button) is Hard Punch, and A (the green button) is Stand. That means you can look at your controller at a glance, and instantly know what button does what. Unfortunately, I don't think this was carried over to the PlayStation layout. Sorry to the few of you out there who play with DualShocks.

As for the macros, the right shoulder button presses all three attack buttons at once, which is useful for a inputting a few of the specials. As for the left shoulder button, most emulators have this press Light and Medium at the same time, but apparently the competitive community doesn't like this for some reason.

Oh, and like most fighting games, you can press Start to taunt. This does nothing.

Protip: if you feel like the game is eating your inputs, try turning down the joystick sensitivity if you're using an emulator. It won't completely solve the issue, but it does help.

One more thing before we begin. For those of you playing the arcade version, there's a bit of setup you need to do first to get the best experience.

Go into service mode (F2 in MAME, or hold Start in Final Burn Alpha), and do the following:

Go to Configuration, and then Game. Press Up, Down, Left, Right, Light, Medium, Heavy, Stand. If done correctly, you'll hear DIO's memetic "WRYYYYYY!" soundbyte. Then select "Save & Exit".

Congratulations! You just unlocked a whole batch of characters! If you're playing on one of the console ports, don't worry. All these characters are unlockable, and you'll be getting them throughout this LP.

Next, if you want to, you can go to Configuration, and then System, and change "Coin Mode" to "Freeplay". Sure, you can insert coins by pressing a button anyway, but that's a bit of a hassle. Freeplay mode is much more convenient in my opinion.

In this let's play, I'll be going through each character's Story Mode campaign. I'll be doing them in the order they appear on the character select menu, as well as giving a quick rundown on their play style and movesets. First off is our main protagonist: Jotaro Kujo.




Jotaro is a very powerful close range oriented character with very good normals and fast attacks that can easily cause a Stand Crash. He has a very strong pressure game and devastating specials. A lot of his combos lead to hard knockdowns. His only major weakness is the fact he has no long-range attacks, so you'll have to get pretty close to your opponent to get good hits on them.

Movelist:
Blazing Fists
Quarter Circle + Any Attack
ORAORAORAORAORAORA! A flurry of punches from Star Platinum that does hefty amounts of damage. Mash the button to extend the attack duration by a few seconds. Don't spam it too much, though, because it's extremely punishable.

Blazing Strike
Quarter Circle Back + Any Attack:
Star Platinum lunges forward with a punch. Confirms from a lot of moves, and does decent damage.

Star Finger
Forward, Down, Down-Forward + Any Attack:
This move is great for mind gaming, because you can delay when the attack comes out by holding the button, and also walk around during this. The attack's hitbox has decent range, and apparently becomes unblockable if you hold it long enough (though you won't see it being used in competitive play because it takes too long)

Specials:

Jaguar Varied Assault
Quarter Circle + Any two attack buttons:
A more beefed up version of Blazing Fists

Star Breaker
Quarter Circle Back + Any two attack buttons
A more beefed up version of Blazing Strike. Always causes a Stand Crash if it lands.

Star Platinum: The World
Forward, Medium, Light, Forward, Stand (Level 3)
This is one of the few Time Stops in the game. You'll stop time (yes, including the timer), and freeze your opponent in place. This leaves them wide open for you to attack them repeatedly for a few seconds. Your Special meter will rapidly drain during this, and the Time Stop will end when it runs out. The downside is that it has tons of start up lag, meaning you either have to space yourself far away from your opponent so they don't cancel the move, or find a way to confirm into it. And it also doesn't last that long to begin with. You can extend the Time Stop by conserving your Super Meter, but good luck getting it anywhere above 4 or 5, because that's easier said than done. Time Stops have an extremely broken mechanic that I'm assuming is a bug. If you knock out your opponent, immediately use a Time Stop so it rolls over to the next round, and then land at least one hit on them, the game will consider it a second knockout for some reason, and you'll instantly win the match. I don't think this was ever fixed in any of the ports, so feel free to be cool, and abuse this if you want to. There's also an Easter egg with Time Stops. If someone else uses a Time Stop on you, you can input your command to regain movement. I'm sure you know what this is referencing.



Before we begin our first Story Mode campaign, I'll take this time to point out that this game has skins. Like in most arcade fighting games of the time, the skin you get is based on what button you press when you select your character. Light Punch is the default skin. I believe "HD" simply has a menu that lets you select which skin you want instead. Most if not all of the skins are based on various colorations from things such as manga covers and promotional illustrations (because the color schemes Hirohiko Araki uses are wildly inconsistent, which is why the anime adaptation often changes the color palette during the more dramatic scenes).

Two things I wanna point out about Jotaro's skins. First off, his Medium Punch skin is his Diamond is Unbreakable outfit, which is a nice call forward to that part. Secondly, if you prefer Jotaro's anime color scheme, the closest one is the Start button skin.

Jotaro Kujo locks himself in jail, claiming that he has been possessed.

Something evil is inside of me... It must have happened recently

Jotaro's mother appears on the scene.

HOLLY: Jotaro!

HOLLY: I must tell Uncle Jospeh about this...

Stage 1 - Avdol

Jotaro! Get out of there! You can come home with me!

Leave me alone! I don't need you!

I see... Avdol, it'syour turn to convince him.

Mr. Joestar, I apologize if I have to be rough...

I don't care! Just get him out!

You...!

For most of Jotaro's campaign, you can mostly just spam Blazing Fists, and you'll win. This is a pretty easy first fight, if you know what you're doing, that is. Good luck!

Well, I got him out... My job is done...

So it seems...

The "evil" you refer to is the "Stand" , a force created by your vital energy.

And DIO is the one responsible for all this!

Yes, and it is our destiny to fight against him!

Stage 2 - Kakyoin

Wha... What's this!?

Could this be your doing?

Jotaro Kujo... I'll destroy you!

Kakyoin's a pretty tough opponent. Especially for this early on in the game. That's because he's got plenty of ranged attacks and projectiles that are pretty hard to dodge. It's not impossible, but just barely manageable. That being said, he's not the worst character to deal with in this game when it comes to zoning (oh, we'll get to that. Believe me).

Don't move Kakyoin. I'll remove the evil implant now.

..........

Uwoooooooohhhhh!!

(fortunately, this scene's not as graphic as it is in the manga (or the anime for that matter). In fact, this game in general is pretty tame, come to think of it. Which is odd, considering JoJo is well-known for its gore. Technical limitations or executive meddling I'm guessing?)

Why did you save me...?

I don't know...

One morning, Holly developed a "Stand" . As a result, she became very ill.

Tell me! What can I do to save her!?

You must kill DIO and release his curse! That is the only way!

I can sense him! DIO is in Egypt now!

(yeah, that's skipping over quite a bit of what happened in Stardust Crusaders. Like I said, this game loosely adapts Part 3. It's still rather faithful, don't worry, but it takes some liberties where necessary)

I also sensed his whereabouts. I, Noriaki Kakyoin, will go with you.

Okay then, let's go!

Jotaro, Joesph, Avdol, and Kakyoin travel to Egypt...

Stage 3 - Soul Sacrifice

Hey, you! I can sense your evil intent! You must be my enemy.

(again, that's not how that happened in the manga. Like, at all. Jotaro doesn't even fight Soul Sacrifice in this arc. That's someone else.)

I'm Soul Sacrifice, the wielder of the Devil Stand!

Ebony Devil!!
Urahhh!

Heh heh heh heh! You've done it, Jotaro!

You've given me all I need to curse you!

What do you mean!?

You fool! I wanted you to punch me! Now, I shall curse you to death!

This fight's pretty annoying. That's because Ebony Devil is tiny, so most attacks won't be able to hit it. That, and Ebony Devil has a few rushdown attacks that are hard to dodge and predict.

Bonus Stage - N'Doul

Our new comrade is supposed to join us here.

(Polnareff joined us off-screen, by the way. No introduction, he's just there. I told you this game took liberties)

You know, Iggy loves coffee flavored chewing gum,,.

.........
(chomp, chomp...)

Is that... our new comrade!?

It can't be...!

Hey! Are you saying this DOG is joining us in our fight!?

Don't get any closer! You don't know what you're getting yourself into!

Wah! No, no! Hey, help me! Get this dog off of me!

(Just wanna point out that Iggy farts on Polnareff afterwards in the original. Yep.)

Watch it!!

N'DOUL: Ha ha! They've finally realized that I can attack them from here with my Stand!

Here's this game's bonus stage, apparently named "The Earth God Geb". It's a pseudo platforming/beat 'em up segment against N'Doul and his Stand, Geb. Punch through the arms made out of water, and do your best to avoid the holes he creates. Get to the end and give N'Doul a surprise attack to complete the bonus stage. Completing this stage without getting hit unlocks an achievement in HD, but that's easier said than done.

Your disappointing performance only fuels my anger!

Stage 4 - Chaka

So, you are Jotaro! I'll slash you to ribbons!

(again, not what happened in the manga at all. Okay, technically this is accurate, since Jotaro does fight Anubis in this arc, but not Chaka.)

You....

Not much to say about the Chaka fight. It's easy, and straightforward.

Stage 5 - Alessi

Gwaaahh!

That's an odd sight, seeing someone fall from a window like that....

(why did he fall out of a window, exactly? Well, there's a key scene we're missing here. But, IIRC, we'll find that out later)

What did you say!? Are you talking about me!?

Isn't it obvious?

I know who you are! You're the new Stand wielder, aren't you!?

Impressive! Good job!

You....

Oh boy, Alessi... This is one of the most annoying characters in the entire game. I'll go over this in more detail when we get to his campaign, but here's the gist of it. The main reason Alessi is a pain to fight against is because of his Stand, Set. Not only does its attacks have absurdly large hitboxes, but Alessi's AI likes to spam a move known as "Shrink Wrap 'Gakinchiyoga'". Basically put, if he uses this move on you, you'll turn into a child for a good bit, and you'll be severely limited to one jump, and a basic attack. Sure, conceptually this is funny. But in practice, it's hella annoying, because Alessi is free to land hits on you since you have almost no defensive options during this state. Best advice I can give when fighting Alessi is to keep your distance from him as much as possible, and avoid standing on Set itself. Of note, in HD, if you somehow manage to KO Alessi while in child form, you get an achievement. Yeah, good luck with that.

Fortunately for me, Alessi didn't use his Special on me once. Usually, I struggle fighting him whenever I do playthroughs of this, and it always gives me trouble. He was still annoying (the gun command in particular gave me trouble) but other than that, it was pretty easy. Must've gotten lucky.

Stage 6 - Cool Ice

Jotaro and company arrived in Egypt and are looking for DIO's mansion....

Where on earth is it...?

Hey! Check it out!

Okay then, let's go!

This must be the mansion!

I can sense an overwhelming presence of evil.... He is here!

.............

Our journey has finally come to an end!

Seeing there's no one to greet us, we should let ourselves inside....

Joseph and the other break up into two groups and sneak into the mansion.

What could have caused this?

Avdol's group must have run into some trouble!

Watch out!

They were lucky enough to escape, but I won't make the same mistake on you!

You....

(he sure is saying that a lot, isn't he?)

Midboss time! Here, we fight one of DIO's high-ranking adversaries: Cool Ice with his Stand, Cream (get it?). Cool Ice is actually a playable character here, but the boss version is considered its own separate character that plays completely differently. He has two main cycles. First is an attack where he uses Cream to turn into a void (portrayed here by a circle whose sprite is part of the background turned greyscale). You can easily jump over this, but it's a good idea to have your Stand out for some extra security via the double jump. The second cycle has it fly across the screen, and then zoom into the camera. You can avoid this by crouching.

This was really tedious. Cool Ice kept spamming commands. Sure, they weren't hard to dodge, but he only left himself open for like a second each time before I could even land a hit. It wasn't hard, just time consuming.

Die, Jotaro!!

You....

Gwaaaaaaahhhhhh...!

So he was a vampire after all....

Cool Ice was reduced to a pile of ashes after being exposed to sunlight....

DIO's room could be upstairs....

Check out the scum I found....

Joseph: Pol... Polnareff! Where are Avdol and Iggy?

They couldn't make it here alive.... They sacrificed themselves to save me....

(what exactly happened is up to speculation, considering the scene played out entirely differently in the manga)

I see....

Hey, Loser! Take us to DIO!!

LOSER: N...No.... Please don't hurt me!

Jotaro and company are led to the top floor by Loser, one of DIO's men.

Is DIO inside of that coffin?

Loser, open that coffin!

(they sure are bringing up his name a lot. I don't think they ever mentioned it in either the anime or the manga. I had to check to see if he had a localized name just to be sure. Turns out he does)

LOSER: Sir DIO, I only brought them here so you could kill them. I haven't betrayed you!

LOSER : Wha...What am I doing here!?

Huh!? Why is Loser inside of the coffin!?

Something is very wrong here.... Run!!

I felt it too.... If we stayed there like that, he would have killed us easily!

This is not good. The sun has set.... His time has come....

Ha ha!

Stage 7 - DIO

Jotaro! Stay away! Get out of here!

Let's start with the old timer..."THE WORLD"!!

I've finished Kakyoin as well.... You're the next to fall, Jotaro!

Here we are, the most iconic scene in the entire franchise. Jotaro's fight with DIO. There's two phases. The first phase is a sort of miniboss nicknamed "Jacket DIO". Because his sprite has him in his iconic yellow jacket that he wears for the majority of Part 3. The only major differences between Jacket DIO and normal DIO is that he only does Medium Punches, has no aerial attacks unless he has The World out (at least, his AI won't use them), and he won't use any of his Specials. Yes, it is a shame that this version isn't the one that's playable. Good thing MUGEN fulfills that niche.

Joseph's blood is so tasty... I feel refreshed now Jotaro!!

Y...You!

I'll show you no mercy!

It doesn't matter to me by what method victory is achieved.... You will die now!

The second phase is a fight with the playable DIO on the iconic Cairo bridge from the arc's climax. Rarely have I ever seen DIO's AI actually use his Time Stop during this fight, if you can believe that. Oh, he can use it, don't you worry, but it's not guaranteed.

Ha ha...! Die, Jotaro!

No.... It can't be! ...How could I lose? DIO cannot be beaten!!

There was a reason you lost.... You pissed me off....

By transfusing the blood of DIO, Joseph has been revived....

Now, my debt to DIO has been paid!

Jotaro places DIO's body under the light of the sun. DiIO s reduced to ashes....

So.... It's finally over....

We survived.... Thanks to our friends....

Kakyoin! Avdol! Iggy! Thank you! We've finally won....

At the airport, Jotaro and Joseph prepare to return to Japan....

I'll miss you. Really...I will.

Call me anytime if you need me. I'm here for ya!

Even after all of the problems...I feel I enjoyed this experience....

Take care, you old timer and his cheap grandson! Don't ever forget about me!

See you later! That is, if you don't hate me.... You weird-haired freak!

Your "wonderful" personality will keep me from forgetting you! Good luck!

Holly: !? ...They are returning!! Yes!! Dad and Jotaro! They are coming back!

And that's it! That's Jotaro's campaign! Hopefully, you got a feel for the gameplay loop. Join me next time for the next campaign, where we'll play as Muhammad Avdol. Also, if you were wondering about the massive time gap between my pevious posts and this one, blame the forum for not saving my post and cutting it off every time I made a mistake in formatting (or just failing to post all together). Sorry about that!

Avdol is a strong character focused around his extremely solid normals and versatile playstyle, but lacks some of the better combo tools and long, high damage combos from quick dashing starters that other characters tend to have.

Movelist:
Cross Fire Hurricane
Quarter Circle + Any Attack
A short-ranged projectile. The speed and ending lag of the attack changes depending on which button you press.

Fire Wall
Forward, Down, Down-Forward + Any Attack
Magician's Red jumps up into the air, and launches the opponent upwards.

Flame Tracker
Quarter Circle Back + Any Attack
A crosshair will appear in front of Avdol. Hold the button, and it'll move around a set path. Release the button to detonate an explosion. You'll commonly see the AI spam this, by the way.

Fire Eagle
(In mid-air) Quater Circle + Any Attack
Magician's Red does a diving kick.

Flames of Hell
Quarter Circle. Back, Down-Back + Any Attack
This one's a bit tricky to pull off, given the game's shoddy input recognition. Anyway, if the attack connects, Magician's Red grabs the opponent, and slams them to the ground. There's a good amount of hitstun after that, so you're free to start a combo on them afterwards.


Specials:

Napalm Bomb
Quarter Circle + Any two attack buttons
A barrage of flames that gets sent across the screen.

Crossfire Hurricane Special
Quarter Circle + Any two attack buttons
More close-ranged projectiles. They come out in front of Magician's Red, so you can have more control over where they go by executing the attack in Remote Mode.

Red Heat Ankh
Forward. Down, Down-Forward + Any two attack buttons
This is basically a remote bomb. Magician's Red will place something in the ground. It's important that you hold one of the buttons down after performing the move. Not both of them, just one. Doesn't matter which one. Release the button when you think the opponent is stepping on it, and it'll detonate.

Yeah, Avdol's moveset is pretty straightforward, surprisingly. Of course, I do recommend experimenting with him to see what he's capable of exactly. Anyway, onto the campaign.

If you prefer Avdol's anime color scheme. Medium Punch is the closest one. Though, it's not exact.

I've been acquainted with Mr. Joestar for three years. After we heard the news...

...that something happened to his grandson, we traveled to Japan.

Holly, did Jotaro tell you that he's been possessed by an evil spirit?

HOLLY: Yes, he told me. He then locked himself in jail and is refusing to come out!

I understand. Avdol, let's go and see Jotaro!

Okay, let's hurry...!

Stage 1 - Jotaro

Jotaro! Get out of there! You can come home with me!

Leave me alone! I don't need you!

I see... Avdol, it'syour turn to convince him.

Mr. Joestar, I apologize if I have to be rough...

I don't care! Just get him out!

You...!

(yep. The exact same schtick as before)

Well, I got him out... My job is done...

So it seems...

The "evil" you refer to is the "Stand" , a force created by your vital energy.

And DIO is the one responsible for all this!

Yes, and it is our destiny to fight against him!

One morning, Holly developed a "Stand" . As a result, she became very ill.

Tell me! What can I do to save her!?

You must kill DIO and release his curse! That is the only way!

I can sense him! DIO is in Egypt now!

I also sensed his whereabouts. I, Noriaki Kakyoin, will go with you.

Okay then, let's go!

Jotaro, Joesph, Avdol, and Kakyoin travel to Egypt...

(don't worry, repeat cutscenes aren't that common in this game)


Stage 2 - Polnareff

Come on! I'll slash all of you in half!

Jotaro, leave it to me. I can fight my best in these conditions!

Avdol....

Your own's Stand ability will do you in!

(If you noticed, we skipped past this arc during Jotaro's campaign. You can sort of piece together a narrative by playing all the campaigns, but it won't be very coherrent, as a few contradict one-another)

Best advice I can give when facing Polnareff is to keep your distance. He's got a lot of close-range attacks that he can use to start a rushdown on you. Fortunately. Avdol has a good number of projectiles, so you're pretty much covered.

It would take 10 years before you could compete with me in fortune telling!!

I was overconfident. I never thought I would lose...I deserve to die....

You are worthy to live. I'll free you from DIOs brainwashing....

Don't move...

(There's the gore I was talking about before...)

Ughh...I'm after the man who killed my sister....,

DIO might know who he is...I'd like to travel with you....

And so, Polnareff joined Joestar and his comrades.

Stage 3 - Soul Sacrifice

Huh huh huh! Ha ha ha!

I've seen you before! The scar upon your face.... You are Soul Sacrifice!the murderer!

Not sure why they feel the need to have everyone fight Soul Sacrifice, but whatever. Avdol's got projectiles. so use them. Actually got a Perfect on the first round just by spamming Cross Fire Hurricane. That's funny.

DIO is one twisted guy...I wonder how many assassins he has hired....

Bonus Stage - N'Doul

Our new comrade is supposed to join us here.

You know, Iggy loves coffee flavored chewing gum,,.

.........
(chomp, chomp...)

Is that... our new comrade!?

It can't be...!

Hey! Are you saying this DOG is joining us in our fight!?

Don't get any closer! You don't know what you're getting yourself into!

Wah! No, no! Hey, help me! Get this dog off of me!

Watch it!!

N'DOUL: Ha ha! They've finally realized that I can attack them from here with my Stand!

Not much to say here. Same spiel as last time.

Even the master of the water Stand is no match for my Stand, "Magician's Red"!

Stage 4 - Rose

........................

That woman.... There's something strange about her....

Just as I thought.... She is also an enemy!

Fun fact, Rose never appeared on-screen in the manga. So Araki went back and designed her just for this game. Yes, she is very sexualized (in fact, I believe there's an option in the service menu that turns her off, making her unselectable, and removing her entirely from the campaigns. But don't quote me on that). Of course, that was because of Values Dissonance. Yeah, she's showing a lot of skin, but nowadays, this is nothing.

I can't let myself get careless in a fight, no matter who my opponent is!

Bonus Stage - Death 13

If you have gotten this far without using continues, a secret boss appears. Death 13. He actually has a fully fleshed out moveset, albeit he can't block or grab. This implies he might have been a playable character at some point in development, but this got scrapped at some point. Anyway, his main gimmick is that he can float around freely throughout the stage. So you'll have to chase him down in order to land hits on him. Though this isn't too much of an issue because, like I said, he can't block. It only lasts one round, and the story continues whether win or lose.


Stage 5 - Chaka

You are Muhammad Avdol, aren't you? Your life will soon be over!

I'll cook you alive with my Stand.

(assume that comma is a typo)

Once again, the fight against Chaka is straightforward and easy.

A sword wielder.... This world is full of bizarre opponents! What could be next?

(GET IT?!)


Stage 6 - Cool Ice

Jotaro and company arrived in Egypt and are looking for DIO's mansion....

Where on earth is it...?

Hey! Check it out!

Okay then, let's go!

This must be the mansion!

I can sense an overwhelming presence of evil.... He is here!

.............

Our journey has finally come to an end!

Seeing there's no one to greet us, we should let ourselves inside....

!?

That was a near miss.... This time, I won't let you escape from the darkness!

This was also tedious. I even lost a round because I timed out.

! There are probably more enemies hiding here somewhere....

..........................!!

Grrrrrrrrr!!

!? Iggyyyy!!

(wouldn't be JoJo if a dog didn't die at some point, now would it?)

Gwaaah! I cannot be beaten by you!!

So, you are a vampire after all...I see....

Gwaaaaaaahhhhhh...!

We did it, Avdol! We've avenged Iggy

Avdol! Polnareff! Are you two all right? Where is Iggy?

He sacrificed himself to save us....

(remember how I said these campaigns contradict one another? Well, here's an example of that)

Look! I found this guy.

Hey, you! Take us to DIO!!

LOSER: N...No.... Please don't hurt me!

Jotaro and company are led to the top floor by Loser, one of DIO's men.

Is DIO inside of that coffin?

Loser, open that coffin!

LOSER: Sir DIO, I only brought them here so you could kill them. I haven't betrayed you!

LOSER : Wha...What am I doing here!?

Huh!? Why is Loser inside of the coffin!?

Something is very wrong here.... Run!!

I felt it too.... If we stayed there like that, he would have killed us easily!

This is not good. The sun has set.... His time has come....

Ha ha!

Stage 7 - DIO

Dio! This time, I won't back down!

Hah! Avdol, do you seriously think that you can defeat me!?

If I didn't, I wouldn't have come all this way!

Okay then, show me your best!

Like in Jotaro's campaign, this stage has two phases. The first round is against Jacket DIO, and the second round is against the playable DIO. Good luck!

This is the end, Dio!

Hah...Haah.... Die, Avdol!!

I can't believe this! It's impossible for a man of my strength to be
defeated!

It's over, at long last!

After defeating Dio, Avdol returns to his fortune telling booth in Hunhalili.

It's been a long time since I've worn these...

I never thought I'd be doing fortune-telling again.... Let's see my fortune.

Which card should I choose...?

You are then prompted to choose between two different tarot cards. Picking either one doesn't affect anything, but here's what happens when you pick either one. I believe it's random.


First, there's "The Magician"

Okay.... All is well! Tomorrow, I'll open my shop!

Then, there's...

The World!? No.... It can't be...!

Ha ha! Avdol.... We meet again...!

No!!

Well that sure was interesting. If you ever wondered what would have happened if Avdol survived the events of Stardust Crusaders. there's your answer.

Next time. we'll be playing Iggy's campaign.

Sorry for the long wait, everyone. Blame Hurricane Helene for knocking out my power, and also my internet for even longer. But, the important part is that I'm back, and we can continue this let's play. Anyway...



So... Iggy... The Heritage for the Future wiki has three entire paragraphs on him, so bear with me as I try to summarize

Iggy's main gimmick is his size. Iggy is the smallest character in the game. As such, his hurtbox won't connect with most other attacks in the game. That is unless you have The Fool out. While having The Fool out gives you more mobility options, The Fool's hurtbox is extremely wide, essentially making you a big target. Basically put, play defensively with Stand OFF and offensively with Stand ON.

Lastly, if you have The Fool out, you can hold Up to levitate while in mid-air. Think Peach or Daisy in Smash Bros.


Movelist:

Sand Crush
Hold Back, Forward + Any Attack
Launches The Fool across the stage. The travel distance and speed depends on which button you press. If you have The Fool out, this attack is a good combo ender, as Iggy gets launched as well.

Sand Attack
Hold Down, Up + Any Attack
Same as Sand Crush, but it goes vertically instead of horizontally

Sand Magic
Forward, Down, Down-Forward + Any Attack
Back, Down, Down-Forward + Any Attack
Yep. This has two commands. This is a teleportation attack. The first one sends you forward a little bit, and the other one sends you back. A decent mobility option, but not much else.


Specials:

Big Sand Wave
Quarter-Circle + Any two attack buttons
A huge wave of sand appears. If it connects with the opponent, it carries them to the side of the screen while damaging them. You're free to land more attacks on them during this, by the way.

Sand Storm
Light, Light, Forward, Medium, Hard
If the attack connects, Iggy attacks the opponent manically, and then farts on them afterwards. It's very similar to Akuma's "Raging Demon" special from the Street Fighter games. In fact, there's an unused sprite for the kanji for "dog" that would have appeared after the attack animation.

One day, Avdol met Iggy, a stray dog from New York with incredible talents.

This dog can wield a Stand! He might be a great help to us....

Iggi has joined Jotaro and company on their quest to defeat DIO.

Stage 1 - Polnareff

Is that... our new comrade!?

It can't be...!

Hey! Are you saying this DOG is joining us in our fight!?

Don't get any closer! You don't know what you're getting yourself into!

Wahhh! Why, you! I'll punish you!

In case you're wondering, yes, I did indeed end this stage by farting on Polnareff via Sand Storm. Why wouldn't I?

Darn it....

Wah! No, no! Hey, help me! Get this dog off of me!

The Stand of Sand. The simpler the Stand is, the stronger its' wielder becomes.

Well, I'll save Polnareff by using a little treat....

You know, Iggy loves coffee-flavored chewing gum....

Bow wow wow wow!

Oops! Darn, he took the entire pack of chewing gum!

He needs some training!

He never trusts anyone.... Someone like that just can't be trained....

...Kun! Kun!

(looks like someone left this untranslated!)

N'DOUL: That dog! He must have noticed me...I'll finish that mutt first!

Bonus Stage - N'Doul

Well, well.

Watch it!!

N'DOUL: Ha ha! They've finally realized that I can attack them from here with my Stand!

Apparently, Iggy is a viable way of getting that achievement I mentioned earlier in HD. So, if you want to try for that, now's a good time.

Awooooh! Wah wah! (You're too much trouble for me.... Bye!)

(Looks like the game suddenly decided to translate Iggy's dialogue. For the record, that did happen in the manga, but not until much later)


Stage 2 - Rose

Stupid dog! I'll make a meal out of you!

Fuuuuhh! (Come on and fight, you witch!)

Bonus Stage - Death 13

Yep, Death 13 is in this campaign as well. Not sure why, considering Iggy wasn't even introduced at that point in the story, but still.


Stage 3 - Chaka

How dare a dog like you stand against Sir DIO!

Grrrrrrr! (I hate trouble like this!)

Stage 4 - Alessi

Hmm.... Where is Jotaro's room?

Agi? (Who is this guy!?)

What's with this dog!? Oh yes, I remember! This dog is on their side!

Stop! I'll never let you escape from me!

Not much to say about the Alessi fight. Though I did manage to get a glimpse at Iggy's "child form". It's a nice bit of meta humor, if you're familiar with JoJo.




Stage 5 - Cool Ice

Where on earth is it...?

Hey! Check it out!

Okay then, let's go!

This must be the mansion!

I can sense an overwhelming presence of evil.... He is here!

.............

Our journey has finally come to an end!

Seeing there's no one to greet us, we should let ourselves inside....

!? Hm!? Polnareff, Iggy, watch out!!

(apparently, this cutscene has everyone's limbs scattered everywhere in the Japanese version. It was taken out of this version. Because censorship was very rampant and acceptable at the time)

Avdol has been torn to pieces. He's beyond dead now....

Guh...guh...guh....

I'll crush you and scatter your pieces into the darkness!

Gyauu! (It's kill or be killed!)

Not much to say here. Same annoying midboss as always.

Woof! (Continue your scream in the afterlife!)

Gwaah! I cannot be beaten by you!!

Guh...guh....

You've finished that guy, Iggy.... We've avenged Avdol's death...!

Look! I found this guy.

Hey, you! Take us to DIO!!

LOSER: N...No.... Please don't hurt me!

Jotaro and company are led to the top floor by Loser, one of DIO's men.

Is DIO inside of that coffin?

Loser, open that coffin!

LOSER: Sir DIO, I only brought them here so you could kill them. I haven't betrayed you!

LOSER : Wha...What am I doing here!?

Huh!? Why is Loser inside of the coffin!?

Something is very wrong here.... Run!!

I felt it too.... If we stayed there like that, he would have killed us easily!

This is not good. The sun has set.... His time has come....

Ha ha!

Stage 7 - DIO

Hah! You are Polnareff...I'll finish you first!

Avdol died for me...I'll never fear you again, DIO!

Are you imagining that you can beat me? Huh!?

Gyauuuuhh!! (I'll fight you!)

Stupid dog! Even trash like you dares to challenge me...!? You'll be the first to fall!

Well this is a surprising turn of events, ain't it?! Nothing left to do now but to do our best and avenge Danny! Just to be cool (and because it was only fitting), I ended this stage by farting on DIO's face. And we're gonna roll with that.


(DIO goes "WRYYYYYYYYY!")

Grrrrrr! (You must be...inmortal!)

Guh...guh...die like the dog you are!!

Gaaaahh! (Embrace oblivion!)

No.... It can't be! ...How could I lose? DIO cannot be beaten!!

Guh...guh....

Iggy.... You've done it! It's finally over!

After Iggy defeats DIO, he returns to New York.

Fuwaaa.... (yawn)

He becomes the emperor of stray dogs once again...

...and lives a luxurious and peaceful life with his girlfriend...

...But is this really the end?

This campaign was pretty challenging. But, I managed to pull through nonetheless. Yes, this story was extremely absurd, but hey, that's why we love JoJo so much, right?

Next time, we'll be playing as one of my personal favorites in this game, Mariah.

You know how in Super Smash Bros., Snake can put down remote bombs, which can lead to traps and clever zoning? Well, that perfectly describes Mariah's playstyle to a tee. Her main gimmick is her Stand, Bast. Pressing the button puts down an electrical outlet. If the opponent steps onto it (or you manage to land the attack right in front of them), they get magnetized. What does that do? Well, it increases the damage output of her commands. And this stacks up to 8. The level can be seen above Mariah's Special meter. The trick is to play skillfully with her. Try leading your opponent into stepping onto Bast, or quickly pull it out when your opponent is open. It's a bit tricky, but very rewarding. Definitely a unique fighter for a game like this. She definitely stands out in my opinion.

Movelist:

Bast's Magnetism
Stand
This places Bast in front of you. It stays there for up to 3 seconds before despawning, or if your opponent manages to step on it. By the way, getting to Level 8 unlocks an achievement in HD. It's doable, just difficult is all.

Collection
Quarter-Circle + Any Attack
Mariah throws three metallic objects at the opponent. As mentioned earlier, the more magnetized the opponent is, the more damage this does.

Enrapture
Quarter-Circle Back + Any Attack
Mariah throws a series of wires that, if the attack lands, constricts the opponent. A good combo starter, since it gives you a free hit if it lands.

Electric Burn
Forward, Down, Down-Forward + Any Attack
Mariah throws a knife up into the air. Yes, the knife can damage opponents, but what you're really wanting is for it to not do that. After the knife is thrown up into the air, half of an electrical wire comes down. If the opponent is magnetized enough, it'll get pulled towards them, and they'll get shocked for massive damage.


Specials:

What Are You Thinking?!
Quarter-Circle + Any two attack buttons
Mariah fills her bra with bolts and screws. They shoot out, and fly towards the opponent. A good long-ranged attack. Especially if the opponent is magnetized enough.

Iron Crush
Quarter-Circle Back + Any two attack buttons
If the attack lands, the opponent gets sent flying upwards as large amounts of trash starts covering them, ending on them being crushed by a car because comedy. An obvious finisher.

Mariah's extremely fun to play as in my opinion. I hope you all think so too.

Mariaha, the master of the "Bast" Stand, is charmed by DIO and now seeks to eliminate Jotaro and company.

You can't help but touch what is forbidden....

Once you are trapped in the magnetic field of Bast, there is no way for you to escape!

Stage 1 - Joseph

Surprisingly, there's not much actual story to Mariah's campaign. Just a bunch of straight fights with no cutscenes in-between. Well, that makes my job a lot easier, but if anything interesting happens, I'll let you all know. Joseph mostly just stood there and took most of my attacks. Huh...

Stage 2 - Avdol

Got to max level magnetism in this stage. That was cool.

Stage 3 - Iggy

Obviously, Iggy's small size is a bit of a problem here, but do your best anyway.

Stage 4 - Polnareff

Stage 5 - Jotaro

Stage 6 - Kakyoin

As a final note, I found you to be a real charmer. Not a bad game player if I do say so myself....

(Ooooh! Getting into some fourth wall humor, eh? Always love that)

The game was short, yet I could sense a high level of intelligence within you. You must also be very experienced and decisive.

...And you have quite the cute face...I was almost thinking that we could be lovers...Hm hm hm....

(Just like Avdol's campaign, you get the choice between two cards. Once again, the outcome doesn't matter, but here's what they are anyway)

But there's no way you could be as charming as Master DIO.... Sorry!

(And now, the second outcome)

You know, I think you might be a bit more charming than Master DIO.... Oh, never mind!

(Yeah, we were screwed either way)



Like Mariah said, her campaign was pretty short. But she's fun to play as, so that balances things out IMO.

Next time, Chaka.

Chaka is a very well rounded character and one of the more honest fighters in the game. He's fairly simple to use and easy to learn, but his playstyle relies heavily on good neutral and his combos require fast input. Since he's a swordfighter, that means most of his attacks don't have much range, which can be a problem if your opponent has projectiles as part of their arsenal.

Movelist:

Oboetazo!
Quarter-Circle Back + Any attack button (Stand ON only)
A counter. Yeah, like a Fire Emblem character in Smash. But not only that, this attack also nullifies any further uses of the countered attack. So if your opponent likes to spam a particular move, you can counter it to give you an advantage.

KirenZan
Quarter-Circle + Any attack button (Stand ON only)
A diagonal slash that launches the opponent. If it lands, you can press any attack buttons to initiate a free three-hit combo. Go crazy with it.

TsubameGaeshi
Forward, Down, Down-Forward + Any attack button
Chaka launches forward, and stabs the opponent. Its reach depends on which button you press.


Specials:
JigenZan
Quarter-Circle + Any two attack buttons (Stand OFF only)
Chaka performs a dash across the screen. If the attack connects, he'll deal a massive amount of damage with his sword. Even if it doesn't connect, it's a surprisingly good movement option. So if you have a part of your meter left, it wouldn't hurt to use it to get close to your opponent.

KetsukeZan
Quarter-Circle + Any two attack buttons (Stand ON only)
Chaka charges forward. If the attack connects, it does a nine-hit combo. A very good finisher if you can confirm from it.

Zenfuoboe Ta!
Quarter-Circle Back + Any two attack buttons (Stand OFF only) (Level 2)
Alright, this one's pretty complicated. After a bit of start-up lag, you'll gain your opponent's entire moveset until they manage to hit you. And I do mean all of it. Of course, the downside is that this requires knowledge of who exactly you're facing. Sure, you can probably muscle out a few attacks with some guesswork, but still. Boy, I bet programming this one must've been a nightmare...

The Anubis Sword was created by a swordsmith over 500 years ago....

When the swordsmith died, his Stand continued to live....

It lived as a Stand with no wielder....

ANUBIS SWORD: Lord DIO saved me from the darkness of the museum warehouse....

ANUBIS SWORD: His Stand is so powerful that I don't stand a chance against it!

ANUBIS SWORD: For that reason, I swore my loyalty to him....

One day, a man pulled the ancient sword out by mistake....

ANUBIS SWORD: Chaka, you released me.... You must be my wielder now!

ANUBIS SWORD: Wield me to kill Jotaro and his men! You are now the unrivaled master!

Stage 1 - Polnareff

Looks like you've got some guts....

Enemies usually try to attack with their Stand, not with themselves. Who are you?

My name is Chaka, the wielder of the Anubis Stand. Your life is mine!

So you've got a macho attitude, eh? I like that! Now, come on!

Only fitting that we fight the other swordfighter, ain't it? (To be fair, they did indeed fight in the original)

I've completely mastered your movements, and the power of Chariot!

I can never lose to an opponent that I've fought before!

Stage 2 - Kakyoin

You must be Kakyoin! You shall die here!

You'll be sorry that you crossed my path!

Be careful with this one. Kakyoin has projectiles in his moveset. And like I said in the breakdown, Chaka struggles against opponents with projectiles since all of his attacks are close-range.

Stage 3 - Avdol

You are Muhammad Avdol, aren't you? Your life will soon be over!

: I'll cook you alive with my Stand.

(I'm starting to realize that this campaign is pretty light on actual story)

Got to land a few Specials on this stage. Very proud of that. Specials in fighting games are always satisfying to land.

Stage 4 - Joseph

Joseph Joestar, if I defeat you, DIO will be most pleased!

I'll make you see the difference between our fighting experience!

Stage 5 - Iggy

How dare a dog like you stand against Lord Dio!

Grrrrrrr! (I hate trouble like this!)

Iggy's small size made this fight a walk in the park. That's all I gotta say about that.

Stage 6 - Jotaro

So, you are Jotaro! I'll slash you to ribbons!

You....

(Again with that...)

Heh heh heh, I'll always win.... There's nooooo way I could ever...

...lose!

: Huh.......!? I hear...something....

ANUBIS SWORD: You are the master.... You are the strongest.... Wield me and destroy......Dio!

!?

Jotaro and Joseph deserved to die!

DIO, now I feel like slashing you apart as well!

So, this is DIO's mansion....

Stage 7 - Cool Ice

Chaka?

Oh.... You're Cool Ice, right? Is DIO upstairs?

I heard that you've defeated Jotaro and his group.... Wait! Are you going to....

Exactly! But before that, I'll slash you into shredded flesh!

Looks like we're betraying DIO for our own cause! What a twist! Anyway. Don't try countering Cool Ice's boss patterns. It won't work.

...........................!!

Ushaaaaaaahhh!

Gwaah! I cannot be beaten by you!!

Stage 8 - DIO

Dio!!

I heard that you've beaten Jotaro and his group. I'm glad....

!?

So, you are serious about slashing me!?

...!?

...I will NEVER lose!

There is only one thing that can happen now.... Chaca, you must fall!

As always, the first round is against Jacket DIO, and the second round is against the playable DIO. Good luck!

I'm stronger than anyone else!

Guh...guh...perish! Chaka!

It is you who will die!

No.... It can't be! ...How could I lose? DIO cannot be beaten!!

After defeating DIO, Chaka now travels in search of stronger opponents....

The Anubis Sword continues to whisper to Chaka....

ANUBIS SWORD: Chaka, you're the master of the blade! Anything can be yours for the slashing!

I feel like slashing anyone...I don't care who it is...I must slash flesh! Anyone is fine with me....

Chaka has never been seen since then. No one knows if he was ever released from the power of the Anubis Sword.

Well, that was pretty challenging. The fun kind of challenging, but still challenging,

Next time, we'll be playing as Pet Shop. Who's quite notorious in this game.