Evangelion: Jo Game
Evangelion: Jo is a 3D Mecha-style action game that was produced by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was originally released for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable on June 4th, 2009 and sold at a suggested retail price of 6,090 yen. It shares the Japanese title of the first Rebuild movie, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone and boasts that it is a full video game adaptation of the movie in much of its marketing. It also contains a variety of other content from other Evangelion releases, namely battles with Angels from the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series.
Although they do not have their original Angel names (e.g. Ramiel, Sandalphon, Zeruel, etc.), all Angels are available in the game, with the exception of Ireul.
Gameplay
Generally speaking, most of the game follows the story of both Evangelion: 1.0 You are (Not) Alone and Neon Genesis Evangelion. While the original material is animated, this game presents its story mainly with 3D cutscenes rendered in-engine that adapt the original scene while occasionally using small clips or stills from the anime and/or movie. The game also uses a variety of different types of gameplay that change depending on what point the player is in during a battle. There are three general types of gameplay: 3D battles, quick-time events, and character relationship building.
3D Battles
This type of gameplay is the most interactive and involved of the three different types. It is most often seen when Shinji is battling an Angel in Evangelion Unit 01. The player is allowed to control Evangelion Unit 01 around a 3D map full of landmarks and obstacles like Tokyo-03 that the player can wander around in freely.
Several kinds of information are shown on the H.U.D on-screen to give the player a variety of helpful information: the Evangelion Unit’s remaining health and A.T. field, current synchronization level and weapon equipped, a map, their range from the target, and a time limit (if applicable). The player can use a variety of different weapons to attack the enemy, including a Progressive Knife and various types of rifles. When using long-range weapons, a lock-on mechanic can be used to help the player stay focused on the enemy. The enemy, much like the Evangelion Unit, has the ability to use A.T. fields for defense and the player must act accordingly, or else their attacks will have no effect. When attacked, the player can choose to either use a dodge roll to avoid an attack entirely or use an A.T. field to block it. After the player has done enough damage to the enemy, a series of quick-time events will appear on the screen.
Quick-Time Events
When an enemy is nearly defeated, the gameplay will switch into a different style. Here, key moments based on the original battles from the anime/movie are reenacted in the game. Such examples include the battle with Sachiel where Evangelion Unit 01 goes berserk and the encounter with Jet Alone where Shinji has to run in Unit 01 with Misato in hand. During these events, players are prompted to either press a specific button, quickly mash a button, or alternate between the two triggers. Failing to complete one of the quick-time events in the sequence often results in Evangelion Unit 01 taking damage and causes the process to begin from the beginning. Once the entire sequence is completed, the opponent is defeated and the player is graded on their performance. Completing the objective gives the player a base amount of points that are subtracted from based on how much damage the Eva unit and the environment took as a “cost of repair”. After this, the story continues and the process repeats.
Character Relationship Building
Throughout the game, there are points in between battles where the player can interact with various characters like Misato, Asuka, and Rei. During these conversations, the player can select various different topics and responses to guide the conversation in certain ways. Each character has their own preferences when it comes to these interactions and, depending on how the player interacts with each character, they can receive unique dialogue and eventually change the ending of the game entirely. In these “free-roam” sections of the game, the player can also visit specific characters that allow them to purchase Evangelion weapons for the next battle and even participate in mock battles for practice.
Characters
Here are the characters that appear in the game from the original series.
- Shinji Ikari voiced by Megumi Ogata
- Rei Ayanami voiced by Megumi Hayashibara
- Asuka Langley Soryu voiced by Yuko Miyamura
- Misato Katsuragi voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi
- Gendo Ikari voiced by Fumihiko Tachiki
- Ritsuko Akagi voiced by Yuriko Yamaguchi
- Ryoji Kaji voiced by Koichi Yamadera
- Kozo Fuyutsuki voiced by Motomu Kiyokawa
- Kaworu Nagisa voiced by Akira Ishida
- Keel Lorenz by Mugihito