Over the past few console generations, anime video games have gotten a bad rap. Most of them, like Jujutsu Kaisen,My Hero Academia, andOne Punch Man, are 3D arena fighters that put more stock into spectacle, retelling the anime’s story arcs, and massive rosters than they do in complex fighting mechanics or offering unique ways to play.
However, there are a select few that do 3D arena fighting so damn well that it hardly matters. My lifelong bias for all things Goku meansDragon Ball: Sparking Zerocomes to mind, but perhaps the best example isNaruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, whichperfected the recipe for anime adaptations over the last decade and change. That Michelin Star recipe is one thatDemon Slayer: The Hinokami Chroniclesfollowed to a tee when it launched a few years ago.
Considering Hinokami Chronicles came from CyberConnect2, the same team that made Ultimate Ninja Storm, the familiar gorgeous graphics, accurate anime retelling, and flashy yet simple combat made a lot of sense to bring over.
This all worked in Demon Slayer’s favour, making it one of the best anime adaptations yet. It won’t come as a surprise, then,that its sequel feels like more of the same goodness, just with a new set of arcs to follow and shined up to a greater degree.
Playing The Hits, Demon Slayer Style
I recently went hands-on with theSummer Game Festbuild of Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles 2, which let me see a quick 30-minute slice of the sequel’s new single-player story mode. Things kicked off with a bang near the end of the Entertainment District Arc, where Tanjiro had his first battle against the creepy demon Daki.
Right away, one of The Hinokami Chronicles’ main strengths was on full display - its excellent adaptation of the source material. CyberConnect2 always does an incredible job of bringing the anime’s world to life, complete with stellar voice performances from the English dub cast and some of the flashiest graphics in the genre. I’ve not kept up with the series as much in recent years, but I was immediately drawn back into Demon Slayer just like I was for the first game.
While I didn’t get to try it for myself, I was told that The Hinokami Chronicles 2 also features some of the first game’s story battles. It won’t be as detailed, but it’s nice that it’s there as a recap.
Of course, as great as it is to hear Tanjiro’s infectious positivity and even see him take on a more serious side towards the end of his fight, the main draw of Hinokami Chronicles is its combat mechanics. It’s very similar to the Ultimate Ninja Storm games with dashes, blocks, gorgeous special moves on a meter, and some basic but flashy combos that make you feel powerful without asking too much.
Hinokami Chronicles’ Flashy Combat Is As Solid As Ever, Even If It Doesn’t Move The Needle Much
Demon Slayer is still more about spectacle and reliving the anime more than it is being an in-depth fighter, but it does have some things that set it apart. For one, there’s a combo meter that stops you from spamming attacks too much and forces you to think about what moves you’re pulling off in the time you have. It takes some getting used to, but it makes fights deeper and more strategic, and they’re still as flashy as ever thanks to the special moves.
All of this is kept pretty much the same from the first entry, as I didn’t notice any major differences in my demo beyond things feeling a little smoother overall. That’s not a bad thing per se, since it worked so well before, but I wouldn’t go into Hinokami Chronicles 2 expecting a major shift, even though some new features like tag ultimates have previously been confirmed.
Battling Daki as Tanjiro might have been business as usual (aside from it being a whole new adapted arc from the anime), but there was an interesting part of the demo where I swapped over to Inosuke for a bit of exploration. That exploration was mostly smashing his head into the ceiling above him to find a demon, but it was a nice distraction that showed a bit of variety in the story mode and offered Demon Slayer’s trademark charm.
After that, though, it was back to playing as Tanjiro for a final boss climactic boss battle with CyberConnect2’s signature stunning quick-time events to cap things off. My demo sadly ended there before things got real with Tengen, but what I played was enough to keep me excited to play, even if I’m certain I’ll know what to expect from the full game.
Like Ultimate Ninja Storm before it, Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles 2 looks like it’s going to iterate instead of evolve. While that’s usually a bad sign for a sequel, the foundations of the original game were so strong that I don’t mind one bit - I’m just going to be happy to dive back into Demon Slayer’s world and experience its iconic battles all over again.
