One Punch Man: World is a 3D action-based gacha game based on the beloved series by ONE and developed by Perfect World. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn’t, and if it’s worth your money.
One Punch Man World Review Overview
One Punch Man World Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Characters are Ripped Straight from the Anime Story is Surprisingly Great
| Horrible Gacha System Gameplay can get Repetitive |
One Punch Man World Overall Score - 68/100
To quote the Caped Badly himself, One Punch Man World is "OK." It does a decent job at faithfully adapting the series' iconic characters and storylines and even provides smaller characters with their own unique stories, offering a fresh perspective outside the anime and manga. However, the game's enjoyment is marred by its abhorrent and deceiving gacha system, as well as repetitive combat. If the Hero Association were to rank this game, it would likely fall in the C-class, just a level below Mumen Rider. With the game still in its first year, there's hope that developers will address these flaws and introduce new modes and stories as just like any hero, this game has so much potential.
One Punch Man World Story - 7/10
The game's storyline mirrors Season 1 of One Punch Man, but with a twist: you're not just following Saitama but also other heroes and characters, which adds an extra layer of enjoyment as a fan of the series. Plus, there are never-before-seen stories that delve deeper into characters like Lightning Max. The game does a decent job of condensing and adapting the story to fit the gameplay, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they adapt more arcs in future updates.
One Punch Man World Gameplay - 6/10
The gameplay is akin to Genshin Impact, featuring gacha-style action-adventure mechanics. While I did enjoy the exploration, sidequests, and combat, it can feel very repetitive, often boiling down to spamming attacks until you can unleash your ultimate move. Nonetheless, each character feels distinct, with their powers from the anime and manga well-adapted for gameplay. However, the gacha system is horrendous, with scarce currency for rolls, exorbitantly priced in-game purchases, and abysmally low pull rates for SSR characters.
One Punch Man World Visuals - 7/10
This game stands out as the best-looking One Punch Man game, which is surprising given that its also for Android and iOS devices. While some character models can appear stiff and awkward, overall, they look impressive, with their 2D anime designs seamlessly transitioning into 3D models. However, they still fall short of capturing Yusuke Murata's iconic art style. Nevertheless, character animations are top-notch, featuring dynamic camera movements, particularly during cinematic cutscenes. Backgrounds are passable, though they occasionally suffer from low-poly visuals and lack distinct locations.
One Punch Man World Audio - 7/10
The game features music and dialogue lifted directly from the anime, but it also includes original tracks and lines created exclusively. I particularly appreciate the new tracks, such as the battle theme, which effectively captures the essence of the show's original soundtrack. While I enjoyed the new scenes, it's disappointing that most of the story lacks voice acting. Although understandable for a free-to-play game, having voiced dialogue would have added a nice touch to the game's narrative.
One Punch Man World Value for Money - 7/10
It’s free to play so if you’re a One Punch Man fan, you should definitely consider checking this game out. However, I advise against spending real money due to its problematic gacha system. It's wise to wait until these issues are addressed and balanced. Fortunately, it's not a pay-to-win game, and the game provides enough resources and heroes to keep players entertained without having to spend money.
One Punch Man World Review: OK
This game is the 'King' of Gacha Games. If you're a One Punch Man fan, you'll understand what I mean, if you aren't, allow me to elaborate. In the One Punch Man series, there's a character named King who's perceived as the strongest human due to his heroic feats in battling God-level threats. However, it's later revealed that King is actually one of the weakest characters, with all his supposed feats being accomplished by Saitama.
So just like King, this game's gacha system may seem enticing with its promotions, but it's all a facade and actually quite disappointing. The odds of pulling powerful characters are slim, and in-game purchases for gacha pulls are exorbitantly priced. Earning in-game currency without spending real money is also challenging, with meager rewards given.
With my complaint about the gacha system out of the way, how is the game overall? If you're familiar with action gacha games like Genshin Impact, you'll find One Punch Man World to be quite similar. You'll navigate through the cities of One Punch Man, engaging in various activities such as the main story, which closely follows Season 1 arcs, character-specific stories like Lightning Max's, and side quests typically involving monster battles.
In One Punch Man World, combat, while enjoyable, tends to become repetitive over time. Battles commence once players accept challenges, allowing them to select up to four favorite heroes (The game suggests controlling a character whose abilities align with the monster's weaknesses), although only the first member of the team can be controlled. Once prepared, players are transported to small arena-like areas corresponding to their location.
Combat mechanics resemble those of Genshin Impact, involving action-based battles where you and your team confront enemies. However, unlike traditional action fighters, battles here involve repeatedly striking the monster until your ultimate gauge fills up, allowing you to end the match with a powerful ultimate move. The repetitive nature of spamming attacks to charge the ultimate gauge can often feel tedious, especially considering the rewards typically amount to nothing more than a small amount of in-game currency or upgrades for your heroes.
The combat's saving grace is undoubtedly the characters themselves. Their in-game models are visually appealing and well-animated, with each character's combat style being distinct and faithful to their abilities as portrayed in the anime. I hope the developers continue this trend as they introduce more characters in the future.
The game goes above and beyond by giving certain characters the attention they deserve. Through the introduction of quests with original storylines, it unveils new dimensions to the personalities featured in the series.
Suddenly, characters like Lightning Max, whom I didn't expect to resonate with, become surprisingly compelling. These fresh narratives not only entertain but also enrich the overall experience, offering fans a deeper understanding and appreciation of their favorite heroes and villains.
Despite its evident flaws, there moments where I find myself enjoying this game. It's clear that the developers poured a considerable amount of effort into crafting the characters and their narratives. While the combat can become monotonous, there are still moments of genuine enjoyment, particularly when unlocking a new hero. Though the gacha system remains problematic, the developers are making strides in offering more events and rewards to ease this.
I hope they revamp the gacha system to ensure fairness for all players.
Pros of One Punch Man World
| Things One Punch Man World Got Right |
|---|
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Characters are Ripped Straight from the Anime Story is Surprisingly Great
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Characters are Ripped Straight from the Anime
Perfect World did a perfect job of making the heroes look great and feel amazing to play. While the game adjusts the power levels of characters for balance purposes, and there may be occasional animation glitches, the characters themselves shine with their diverse and engaging playstyles. Each hero boasts distinctive basic attacks, ranging from long to short range, accompanied by special skills that completely transform their approach to combat. For instance, characters like Genos and Tatsumaki thrive in constantly mobile, long-range combat, leveraging abilities that amplify damage from a distance or unleash devastating area-of-effect attacks.
Conversely, characters like Saitama excel in close-quarters combat, diving headfirst into the fray against monsters. Despite the potential for combat to grow repetitive, the sheer diversity among characters ensures an ongoing sense of freshness and excitement. One can only hope that Perfect World continues this trend, faithfully replicating the essence of these characters with each new release.
Story is Surprisingly Great
I found myself pleasantly surprised by how well this Gacha game managed to capture the essence of the first season of One Punch Man. While it doesn't aim to replace the anime, focusing instead on specific parts of the story and glossing over certain scenes and characters, it still impresses with its visuals and animation. The opening scene, in particular, left me in awe of Saitama's dream sequence.
Despite its selective adaptation of key moments from the series, the game portrays them excellently, seamlessly transitioning between gameplay and storytelling. What's more, I was pleasantly taken aback by the attention given to other characters, allowing them their own moments to shine through original stories and quests.
This approach enriches the world-building of the One Punch Man universe, offering glimpses into the lives of lesser-known heroes like Smile Man, who grapples with a fan who stole his identity, or Lightning Max, as he revisits the hospital that cared for him.
While the writing in these original stories may not reach the same levels of creativity and humor as One's, they nonetheless provide delightful moments for fans to further connect with these characters.
It's worth noting that you shouldn't anticipate playing as Saitama very frequently unless you're fortunate enough to pull him. In the story, opportunities to control Saitama are sadly rather limited, occurring only a handful of times.
Cons of One Punch Man World
| Things That One Punch Man World Can Improve |
|---|
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Horrible Gacha System Gameplay can get Repetitive |
Horrible Gacha System
This is the “King” of Gacha games, and by that I mean that just like King's façade as a hero, the Gacha system in this game presents a seemingly appealing exterior that conceals its exploitative nature. It's disheartening to even compare this game to King because, despite King's being a fake hero, he wouldn't stoop to such depths.
There are numerous criticisms to level against this Gacha system, but perhaps the most annoying is the abysmally low pull rates for SSR characters, akin to 5-star characters in other games, standing at a mere 0.03%. This is among the lowest pull rates I've encountered, even falling short of Genshin Impact's rates.
While the inclusion of a pity system after 60 pulls for an SSR character may seem like a saving grace, it requires spending in-game currency known as World Silver, which is scantily rewarded through quests and daily achievements. Despite appearances, the game is stingy with these rewards, making it impractical to rely on them for significant progress.
I cannot in good conscience recommend purchasing in-game currency, dubbed World Gold, as it's way too expensive. Spending upwards of $30 just to obtain enough coins for a chance to pull a single SSR character is unreasonable.
While the game currently offers a free SSR character through quests, it's merely a band-aid on a fundamentally flawed Gacha system. The game's generosity with rewards at its launch is no excuse for the inherent limitations and predatory nature of this system.
The developers must address these issues and strive for a more balanced Gacha experience that respects players' choices and provides fair opportunities for progression.
Gameplay can get Repetitive
While I appreciate the depth of the stories and characters, it's hard to overlook its repetitive nature. Combat, in particular, tends to become stale due to how alike most of these monsters are and the reliance on charging up ultimate attacks to defeat them. Despite some strategic elements, many battles end up feeling like mindless button-mashing exercises, especially given how generous our health bar is.
Although the introduction of PVE content is a positive step, I believe the game could benefit from additional modes like PVP to maintain player interest over time. However, despite these criticisms, I find the arcades in this game quite charming for its simplicity.
Is One Punch Man World Worth It?
Worth It if you Don’t Spend Actual Money
While this game offers an overall enjoyable experience without resorting to pay-to-win mechanics, it may not be the most opportune moment to dive into it if you’re into Gacha games due to its horrible gacha system. Furthermore, newcomers interested in exploring the world of One Punch Man would be better served by starting with the anime, as this game doesn't offer the most immersive entry point into the series. However, for die-hard fans of One Punch Man, there are still enough rewards and content to make it worth their while to check out this game and stay engaged for a while.
One Punch Man World Overview & Premise
The game follows the journey of Saitama, known as Caped Baldy, as he transforms from an ordinary salaryman into a hero of unparalleled strength. Losing his hair but gaining extraordinary power through rigorous training and a lack of air conditioning, Saitama emerges as a formidable force in the Hero Association. Alongside his so-called disciple Genos, he fights against monsters and super villains standing shoulder-to-shoulder with heroes such as the formidable Tornado of Terror Tatsumaki, the Strongest Man on Earth King, Silverfang Bang, and the Blizzard of Hell, Fubuki.
One Punch Man World FAQ
What Arcs Does One Punch Man World Adapt?
The game covers the entire Season 1 from the Satiama Introduction Arc up to the Alien Conquerors Arc.
One Punch Man World Product Information
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| Title | ONE PUNCH MAN WORLD |
|---|---|
| Release Date | January 31, 2024 |
| Developer | Perfect World |
| Publisher | Crunchyroll, LLC |
| Supported Platforms | PC, Android, iOS |
| Genre | Action, Gacha |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | Not Rated |
| Official Website | One Punch Man World Website |
