One-Punch Man: The Strongest Man launched exclusively in China on 19 June, and we finally managed to squeeze 1 full week of continuous game time to try it out. Based on the popular Shueisha manga and anime series, publisher Tianma worked with a couple of other partners to secure the licensing rights and develop this mobile RPG. While One-Punch Man: The Strongest Man may seem like a gacha cash-grab attempt to some, we were actually pleased by some of the deep tactics required to effectively secure victories in this turn-based mobile game. Do stay until the last minute of the video, and here are our thoughts!
• We will like to answer the most asked question since we posted about the game. No, you cannot gacha Saitama-sensei. In some sense, the game’s real lead is Genos since you get him as your main character from the start. Instead, Saitama is a NPC of sorts found in various gameplay modes, as seen in the screenshot below. Your character will turn into him in the patrol mode, and nothing more. He does join the battle, which we explain below…
• Saitama is the rage or berserk meter in One-Punch Man: The Strongest Man. Built up during PVE battles, he unleashes a one-hit KO normal punch to the selected target. Hence, he is usually reserved for the final boss. This meter only builds up one time per match. In the automatic battle mode, the system will just use this function once it is available. Hence, all tough battles in the game are usually played manually for maximum efficiency.
• The turn-based battle system might seem deceptively simple, but it requires some tactics based on your lineup. For example, Mumen Rider’s ultimate is a single-target buff which hugely increases attack and speed for 1 turn. As such, you would want Mumen Rider to be the fastest casting hero. You will need to equip him with items boosting the speed stats, and perhaps a 4-piece set which gives the speed bonus. Simple, but we love the system!
• Other than hero stats, individual hero skills must be taken into account when planning for battles as they attack different positions. For most of the time, the front row of 3 must be defeated first before the back 3 can be targeted. The only exceptions are full-team skills such as Fubuki’s Hell Storm or special single-target skills such as Puri-Puri Prisoner’s Angel ☆ Rush. You get the full idea, it is fun observing an opponent’s lineup and plan around it!
• Given that the storyline of One-Punch Man is centered around the Hero Association vs Monster Association, there are a couple of gameplay modes which require players to have a full team of 6 from either faction. There are 2 other factions known as Bounties (human criminals with bounties on them) and the unaffiliated “Others,” usually categorized under the Monster Association banner. This is no doubt a way to get players to spend gacha cash, but also ties in to the original story. This design has certainly depleted some of our cash…
• There are the usual dungeons such as EXP and Gold (the gold dungeon requires a full team of baddies as well), and there is the infinite dungeon known as DNA Laboratory. We are not sure how many levels there are, but each presents players with a disadvantage. For example, a random team member will “get lost in the mist” and abandons each battle. The second level has an ice setting, hence all character’s movement speed are decreased.
• There are a few co-op PVE modes in One-Punch Man: The Strongest Man, and somehow the developers have managed to include both real-time and asynchronous functions in them. From what we have encountered, there are 2 and 3 players real-time dungeons and also a 6-player asynchronous world boss raid. There will still be just 6 characters on the battlefield at all times, so each player will have to choose their contributions to the battle.
• One-Punch Man: The Strongest Man has both awesome and cash-grabbing features, but we feel the systems are very well implemented. Yes, you do need cash to get far, but it is money well spent if you are a fan of the One-Punch Man series. Finally, gacha. You can see the currently available SSR characters in the screenshot below, as well as the rates. It isn’t really too bad, seeing we have spent like $100 for 4 SSR characters (though Speed-o’-Sound Sonic is from an event). This is all we have for One-Punch Man: The Strongest Man!
