The appeal of most anime video games is very simple: getting to play as yourfavourite characters and duking it out while reliving a story you’ve already fallen in love with. Sometimes there’s an original narrative scenario instead of the usual recapped arcs, andsometimes it might transcend fighting games to an entirely different genre, but, more often than not, that’s the well-known formula we’ve grown accustomed to.
That’s been the case for recent games likeDragon Ball: Sparking ZeroandDemon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles, but when it comes toHunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact, things are different. Firstly, I know nothing about Hunter x Hunter, so instead of wanting to play as my favourite characters, my interest has been entirely based around developer Eighting, the same team behindMarvel vs. Capcom 3and Naruto: Clash of Ninja.
Eighting’s fighting titles are so legendary that,while most baulked at Nen x Impact’s low-budget looks when it was first announced, I was on board for a potentially incredible fighter that doubled as a compelling introduction to a beloved series. Well, I was half-right, as Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact is indeed a fantastic fighting game, but one that fails to achieve greatness thanks to a lacking budget and underwhelming handling of its source material.
Nen X Impact’s Low Budget Is Really Felt In Its Story Mode And Presentation
If, like me, you’re coming into Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact with little knowledge of the anime or manga, you’re likely going to jump straight into the campaign to figure out what’s occurring. While the story mode loosely adapts events from the Hunter Exam Arc all the way to the Chimera Ant Arc (the first five, or roughly the first 140 episodes of the surprisingly lengthy anime), you’re going to be disappointed if you expect to learn anything other than the basics.
Each chapter is set up with some generic stills from the anime and a small amount of text alongside some voice lines before a battle takes place, and it’s all over in a matter of minutes. Not only is the storytelling simple, but so much is left out of each arc that, outside of hammering home that Hisoka is a total pervert, newcomers are bound to come away with no idea of who these characters actually are or what their motivations entail.
For example, I went into Nen x Impact thinking Killua was cool and excited to learn more, only to get the idea that he’s a powerful yet pretty regular kid, as is Shonen tradition. I had no clue that he was actually a ruthless killer raised by assassins until doing my own research on fan wikis after playing. Nen x Impact also shies away from many of the narrative’s darker moments, especially in the Chimera Ant arc that lasts just three fights and really only shows Netero and Meruem’s clash. Put simply, this is a game for hardcore fans only, or ones who only care about the mechanics.
The one positive is that Nen x Impact did at least make me look into Hunter x Hunter and get an idea of why it’s so beloved. I wish I never learned what happened to Pokkle, though…
There’s an obvious reason for the campaign’s failings - the budget. Since it was first revealed,Nen x Impact has received a lot of negative attention for how basic it looks, and I’m sad to say the complaints were accurate. While the character models are nice enough, the animations are stiff, and the fly-swatter-esque hit effects are comically simple across the board. It’s a shame, because putting its presentation aside, there’s a really solid fighter to be found here.
At Least Nen X Impact Has Some Of The Best Fighting Mechanics This Year
The game is salvaged by some truly incredible tag-fighting mechanics. As you’d expect from Eighting, Nen x Impact is most similar to Marvel vs. Capcom with its three-on-three battles, albeit with welcome unique twists, like the Nen stance, a pushback guard-esque move that helps it stand apart immediately.
The biggest ace up Nen x Impact’s sleeve is how fast-paced battles can be, with even the heavy characters having plentiful movement options. The comparisons to MvC continue here, as combined with simplistic one-button inputs for most special attacks (known as Arts), active tag mechanics to keep things speedy, and some of the best combo potential for nearly every character I’ve ever seen in a fighting game, and Nen x Impact is a joy to play. Well, expect for the auto-combos being a littletooeasy to abuse.
Although Nen x Impact’s roster is on the small side, each of the 16 characters manages to feel distinct from one another, and they’re all a blast to play. Gon is my favourite, a jack of all trades with some great specials and a tricky fishing pole attack, but I also enjoyed my time with the lightning-fast Killua, deadly Kurapika, and gun-wielding Kite just as much. There isn’t a single weak link to be found, even in heavier characters that aren’t my taste like Uvogin.
The only downside to how Nen x Impact actually plays is that there aren’t many modes to cut your teeth on to prepare for online play. Outside of the story mode, there’s an arcade mode (without any tangible rewards for clearing it), time and combo trials, and Heavens Arena, which is basically a survival mode made up of 31 rounds. Still, what’s here is a lot of fun, and I’ve been happily making my way through it all once I’d kicked story mode to the curb.
I wasn’t given access to the online modes during this review, but I already know that it’s the main event for such a competitive fighter. Here’s hoping they’re stable.
Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact might not be a looker and would be laughed out the door for more lore-focused anime games, but it manages to just about come around as soon as you sit down to play it. Eighting’s incredible fighting prowess is doing all of the heavy lifting here and, while it’s a shame the low-budget hampers Nen x Impact from being a top-tier game, it’s still a good time. Just don’t expect to learn anything about the series if you’re a newcomer.
