Disclaimer: Ultraman Connection was provided a code for the base game and DLC for the Nintendo Switch for the purposes of this review.
Gigabash is one of the great indie success stories of recent memories — a perfect kaiju fighting game, featuring a full roster of original, dynamic monsters and heroes inspired by the classics of the tokusatsu genre, tearing through captivating cityscapes as they battle for dominance.
However, when it comes to heroes fighting kaiju, one name comes to mind above all — Ultraman, of course! And as Gigabash welcomes its newest DLC into the fold, four characters from the venerable series have come to kick butt! Let’s take a look at the new characters from the Ultraman Series DLC Pack and how they play!
Downloading the DLC was an easy process — once I entered the code, the next time I turned on the game, everyone was just part of the roster! Right at the bottom of the character select screen, four new characters were waiting: The original Ultraman, Alien Baltan, Ultraman Tiga, and Camearra! For those who are questioning why there are three giants out of four new characters in a game marketed as a kaiju fighting game, it actually makes sense — in the Ultraman series, there are few rivalries more intense than that between Ultraman and the Baltan people, or between Ultraman Tiga and his jilted former lover Camearra!
All four characters come with specific, unique movesets that distinguish themselves both aesthetically and mechanically from every other character in the game, and feel intensely accurate, even compared to previous DLC characters.
Ultraman is first and is the most straightforward in his moveset, a powerful, simple fighter that hits hard and has access to moves like his Ultra Slash and iconic Spacium Beam. Ultraman hits like a truck, and while his kit isn’t especially flashy, it works exceptionally well for him, letting him focus on dealing damage hard and fast without easily interruptible animations. His super move is, of course, his Spacium Beam — but more, of course, with a trio of beams ending with a golden blast that practically cuts the entire screen in half.
Baltan is my personal favorite character of the DLC, not only because he’s one of my favorite characters in the entire Ultraman Series, but also because his kit is just so dang interesting. Fittingly for the Space Ninja, his moveset is all about positioning, with dashes that leave afterimages, and a shooting attack that has him duplicating — a move that can have you end up taking the place of EITHER duplicate, making him hard to predict. His super move is fairly unique and utterly devastating, with Baltan duplicating himself a hundred times over and surrounding his hapless foe, before showering them endlessly with White Destructive Lasers. Yeowch!
Ultraman Tiga is perhaps the most unique character not only in the DLC, but in the whole game. In a wonderful bit of flavor and mechanic mixing, Tiga’s Type Change ability has been imported into the game, allowing the player to specialize in hitting harder or moving faster from moment to moment. This ability to focus on power, speed, or a good balance makes Tiga perhaps one of the most powerful characters in the entire game, and his super move may lock that impression in, as Tiga becomes Glitter Tiga, glowing gold and running roughshod over the opponent!
The final character is the tragic yet terrifying Camearra, who presents a zoning nightmare for opponents thanks to the incredible reach of her whip and sword attacks. This fighting style allows Camearra to hit FAR further than the opponent expects. In addition, her special attack summons a horde of Shibito-Zoiger in a column in front of her — or, when charged, a blast. Nasty, and keeps the opponent off-balance. The crescendo of her playstyle comes in her super move, which transforms her into the terrifying behemoth Demonzoa long enough to fire a blast of energy that can be directed, chasing the opponent down. No escape!
To get into the weeds of Ultraman Series history, if you’re a fan of the Ultraman Fighting Evolution series of fighting games, this DLC is for you. The amount of effort that has gone into making these characters not only accurate, but competitive in the game. All of them have incredibly unique movepools and are a ton of fun to match up against not only the game-original cast, but other guest characters. Dream match, anybody? Unfortunately, the DLC isn’t available in either Japan or Mainland China, but if you can get the DLC, you definitely should.
