100% OJ is a really weird and unique game. It plays like a boardgame with the story and characters of an anime. Throw on top of that a collectible card system and you have a wild hodge podge of different elements going into the blender. This game has a lot of great ideas and on its surface it is a playable game. Yet somehow it seems everything that went into this game was poorly executed. As you'll soon find out, 100% OJ heavy reliance on luck and limited player input is its downfall.
This game is designed to play a lot like a tabletop game. Its feels a lot like a Mario Party game without the mini-games (and yes, it is as thrilling as that sounds). Every turn you roll a dice and proceed to move that many spaces. Some spaces add/subtract stars needed for leveling up while others let you fight various monsters or reward you with cards. There is even the option to fight other players as you pass them on the board. You can choose to level up your character by setting goals for reaching so many stars or by winning a set number of battles. First to go up to level six wins the game.
You go into each game with a small set of cards aimed to aid you in your endeavor. These let you lay traps, deal a little bit of damage, or shuffle around various components. Others cards will give you a boost in battle, usually these boost have some kind drawback as a balancing mechanic. You only start with one card and even if you happen to land on a tile that rewards cards it might not be one you choose for your little deck. For being the biggest element of choice this game has to offer it certainly seems like the card system is very limited, this is especially evident seeing as you must buy cards with the in game currency. You're rewarded coins after completing missions but to really get a collection going requires tremendous time investment.
For all the lacking mechanics this game looks really clean. The colors are vibrant and the anime characters are adorable. The little bits of banter between missions make up the story line. They tend to be quite ridiculous but can be kind of fun and silly. The music is pretty catchy as well but can get a little annoying as the tracks end up repeating. I have to admit the sound design is great. The absurd bounce of the dice and crashing of attacks is wonderful. If the aesthetics of this game are enough to make you want to play just make sure to set the gameplay speed to super-fast or turns will drag on FOREVER!
Playing this game feels a lot gambling. Luck is a huge factor, there is very little that you have control over. Everything in this game is stacked against you, even on the lowest difficulty setting. However, like with gambling, when you finally beat the system you feel great. You want to jump right back in and show the game who is boss. Yet while playing, in just a single turn, you can lose practically everything! Its a miserable feeling that you'll get over and over again playing this game. There was so much potential here, it looks and plays like it should be a better game. The problem is beneath the surface there are countless gaps in the design. As much time as I put into this game, stuck in its feedback loop, I couldn't be more happy to finally move on.