Even though my taste in anime is embarrassingly basic and mostly centered around my lifelong obsession withDragon BallandNaruto, some other series have more recently caught my eye. Dandadan,My Hero Academia, andBleach(really pushing the boat out there, I know) all come to mind, but the anime that’s captured my heart the most is, without a doubt,Demon Slayer.
Despite being up to date with the anime and even reading some of the manga, the original reason I fell in love with Demon Slayer is because of the first Hinokami Chronicles game. CyberConnect2 did such an amazing job withNaruto: Ultimate Ninja StormandDragon Ball Z: Kakarotthat I couldn’t help but dive in, and I’ve been in love with the series’ unique mix of pure tragedy, incredible action, and endless heart ever since.
With the first game only covering the very beginning of the anime and clearly leaving itself open for even more games, I’d been looking forward to theannouncement of Hinokami Chronicles 2 long before it was finally confirmed earlier this year. It felt like a hefty wait since the first game’s release in 2021, butDemon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles 2was worth it thanks to how it iterates on a winning formula and adapts some of the best moments in the series.
The Hinokami Chronicles 2 Wonderfully Adapts Some Of The Series’ Best Arcs
As is the case with most anime games, The Hinokami Chronicles 2’s main event is its story mode, which covers three big parts of the anime - the Entertainment District Arc, the Swordsmith Village Arc, and the Hashira Training Arc to end things off before the eventual final act. Even though the Hashira Training Arc is the shortest of the three and a bit more of a tease than anything else, CyberConnect2 has still done them all justice, just like you’d expect it to.
One of the things that makes Demon Slayer so special is its unique blend of relentless optimism, overwhelming tragedy, and a surprisingly funny sense of humour. Thankfully, The Hinokami Chronicles 2 handles it masterfully.I was expecting some brutal scenes to be cut down or censored, but The Hinokami Chronicles 2 doesn’t shy away from more violent content, making it an excellent way to faithfully experience the series outside of the manga or anime.
Not only are the three arcs in The Hinokami Chronicles 2 some of the best in the series, thanks to their high stakes and impressive action, but they also introduce and focus on some of its best characters. The first game was basically entirely focused on Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, but now we finally get to see more of the Hashiras and the terrifying Upper Six demons.
As much as I love Demon Slayer, it’s nice to not have a whole game about Zenitsu screaming at the top of his lungs. God bless Aleks Le’s lungs.
Of course, all of this success is true of Demon Slayer itself, but The Hinokami Chronicles 2 should be commended for how beautifully it adapts everything with flashy visuals that Tengen would be proud of, an amazing soundtrack, and stellar performances from the whole cast. Really, the only downside is that there’s not more of it, as the three arcs are a little imbalanced, with the Hashira Training acting as more of a setup for everything big that’s coming in the future.
Demon Slayer’s Combat Is As Great As Ever, Even If It’s Not Evolved Much
The Hinokami Chronicles 2’s recreation of those three arcs and continuation of the overall story is a gorgeous success, but the results are slightly more uneven when it comes to actually playing the game. The meat of the Demon Slayer experience is its two-on-two combat,which is very similar to how it was in the first game, albeit with a few small tweaks like the introduction of Dual Ultimates and some occasionally horde mode-esque moments during specific chapters.
Even though The Hinokami Chronicles 2’s mechanics are very similar to the first game and are more of an iteration than an evolution, that’s not a bad thing at all since they still feel so razor-sharp and satisfying. Combat keeps the “easy to play, hard to master” nature of the Ultimate Ninja Storm games, with combos and special moves that don’t ask much of the player but can be mastered and taken to the extreme once you’ve spent enough time with a character.
One of the biggest improvements that Hinokami Chronicles 2 makes is with its roster, which has over 40 characters. It’s a far cry from the first game’s slim 18 playable fighters.
CyberConnect2 mastered how to make anime arena fighters many years ago, and that’s just as evident in The Hinokami Chronicles 2. Ignoring the Arc-specific variants and silly Academy fighters, each character on the roster feels unique and well-adapted, from Zenitsu’s fast-paced sword fighting to Nezuko’s devastating brute strength. Demon Slayer doesn’t exactly reinvent anime fighters like Ultimate Ninja Storm did or offer a new take on the genre like Kakarot, but its slick, stylish, and satisfying feel once again proves that CyberConnect2 is the best to ever do it.
The Hinokami Chronicles 2’s Gameplay Stumbles Outside Of Battles
As great as all of the epic fights in The Hinokami Chronicles 2’s story mode are, the same can’t be said of the barebones exploration between fights. Getting to roam around the Butterfly Mansion and Entertainment District sounds great, but there’s really nothing to it beyond some unrewarding collectibles and side missions that might as well not be there.
I appreciate wanting to have more than just battles in a story mode, but the maps are so limiting, and exploration holds your hand to the point that there’s really no purpose in doing anything but heading to the main objective. And trust me, The Hinokami Chronicles 2 knows it as well, since whoever you’re playing as won’t stop reminding you of what it is you should be doing instead of helping a Swordsmith kid find his paper airplane. It’s harmless in the grand scheme of things, but it does make story mode a little more annoying than it should be.
There are at least a few fun minigames scattered throughout the campaign to make it more interesting, including a rhythm game featuring Zenitsu playing the shamisen.
Outside of the main campaign,Demon Slayer has a few other things to keep you going, like a recap of some of the first game’s big battles and Training Path, which is a survival mode themed around each Hashira. These modes are nice distractions that add a bit more to do once you’ve finished the ten-hour campaign, but I have a feeling the online mode (which I couldn’t access) will be where most spend any extra time.
Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles 2 hasn’t changed much since the first game, but considering how solid that foundation was, I don’t mind one bit. By having a healthier roster, slightly tweaked combat, and two of the best arcs in the whole series, The Hinokami Chronicles 2 still stands as a worthy sequel, and one that I hope is surpassed even more by the inevitable third game that has a hell of a lot of heavy lifting to do by finishing off the whole series.
