JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (video game)

Lore & Background

The game was developed by the same team responsible for the Street Fighter III series, combining Capcom's anime-inspired graphics with the characters and events of Hirohiko Araki's creation. Araki served as a consultant and created exclusive artwork for promotion and packaging; notably, he developed a new character design for Midler, who had only been shown from the waist-down in the original manga. The game features a unique Stand Mode, where players can summon or dismiss guardian spirits that accompany most characters, altering their move list and abilities.

Reader's Guide

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is significant as a faithful adaptation of the Stardust Crusaders story arc, following Jotaro Kujo and his grandfather Joseph Joestar on a quest to destroy the vampire Dio. Its gameplay incorporates a super meter for special moves and the innovative Stand system, where active Stands can be deployed for enhanced attacks but risk damage to the user if the Stand is attacked. The game received favorable reviews for its Dreamcast version, while the PlayStation and HD versions received mixed or average reviews. It was a commercial success in Japan, selling over 300,000 units by March 2000 and being listed as the most successful arcade game of January 1999 by Game Machine. The HD version, delisted in September 2014, included online multiplayer but omitted the Super Story Mode from the PlayStation port.

Did You Know?

• The game was the fifth distinct title released for the CPS-3 arcade board, as Heritage for the Future is an update of the same game, not a separate release.
• Hirohiko Araki created a new character design for Midler from scratch for the game.
• The English version was titled JOJO's Venture to avoid copyright issues.
• The Dreamcast version features both the original and revised arcade versions.