Well, well, well.
The last GigaBash DLC review from Kaiju United ended by saying that Passion Republic was far from done with the game and it looks like that statement has already started to bear fruit. Just three short months after unleashing the Power Rangers & Super Sentai-inspired “Mighty” DLC, the developers are back with their THIRD expansion this year, the Ultraman: Rising pack! While there was some deliberation as to what exactly this pack would include (Ultraman himself, Emi, Neronga or even Gigantron), fans were surprised when the pack would only include a single character… sort of.
Both Ultraman and Emi have now joined the ever-growing roster of kaiju and mecha fighters, as one individual character, not unlike Ice Climbers from the Super Smash Bros. franchise or Ferra/Torr from Mortal Kombat. And while it’s a little disappointing that players won’t be able to wreck shop and dominate their opponents while playing as a literal infant, thankfully they’re still pretty dang fun to play as.
Ultraman ©Tsuburaya Productions
Ultraman & Emi are the kind of character one would expect to have been in the base game, going off from how they play. Compared to some of the other characters that have been added post-launch, they’re a bit more basic in terms of move sets. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, of course, it’s just not quite as flashy as Balzarr or as in-depth as R.O.J.A.K. This is, in fact, a good thing. For new fans of the game (or those who just aren’t all that good at fighting games) who want to play as these licensed, fan-favorite characters, characters like those in the Mighty DLC or, sticking with the licensed characters, Godzilla or Mechagodzilla, might not be as accessible, so it’s good to have a more baseline DLC character to ease newer players into things while still being able to play as their favorite superhero.
Ultraman ©Tsuburaya Productions
That being said, the duo still has some fun abilities that make for engaging gameplay in the hands of a pro. The iconic “Ultra Slash” appears as the charged heavy attack and actually bounces back towards the player, allowing for fun juggling combos if timed right (especially if paired with the blocked heavy attack that functions as an anti-aerial!). It’s made even easier by the normal heavy attack, which has Emi use her echolocation to mark enemy titans, causing any projectile attacks to home in on them. There’s still plenty of room for experimentation for fun combos to be had. Ultraman & Emi are yet another great addition to the ever-expanding GigaBash lineup. And while the move set for these characters might be a little more accessible for new players, there’s no reason “basic” has to also mean “not fun.” Not only is it great to see more licensed characters added to the game’s roster, it’s doubly nice to see Ultraman: Rising getting more love (deservedly so!). With three expansions having come out this year alone, it’ll be interesting to see what Passion Republic has planned for 2025 (hopefully that will manifest the next drop in a few months)…
GigaBash’s Ultraman: Rising DLC will be released on November 28 at 7PM PST.
