In the last decade the anime-licensed games have developed significantly! Was once just a breeding ground for low-quality titles that required a license to market extra copies has become some of the most profitable and popular games on the market! This paradigm shift was thanks to one studio that tried to push the boundaries of what licensed games could accomplish by bringing a stunning adaptation from the Shonen Jump property, Naruto. For over 10 years CyberConnect2’s Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm series was a hit with stunning graphics and a passion for the original source material, which led to a game series that sold a staggering 15 million copies in six installments! Any game trying to capture the same enthralling quality of this series is no easy task, but Demon Slayer Mobile Games: The Hinokami Chronicles is the spiritual successor gamers like me were waiting for.
Demon Slayer The Hinokami Chronicles is a 3D arena-based fighting game that was developed by CyberConnect2 and published by SEGA. Based on the original manga by Koyoharu Gotouge the series has been one of Shonen Jump’s top-performing series. With an adaptation of the anime by UFOTOTAL, the highest-grossing animation film to date in 2021 and the release of a console video game from a renowned game developer, it’s apparent that Demon Slayer mobile games are a huge hit in the anime community! All the stars align for Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chroniclesto be a enjoyable experience, but can the console version of this game surpass this incredibly high bar?
Table of Contents
Story
Demon Slayer Mobile Games: the Hinokami Chronicles retells the events from the Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc, all the way up until the Mugen Train arc. You’re in charge of Tanjiro Kamado, whose life is transformed when he finds out that the entire family of his was murdered by a demon. Only one survivor is his sister Nezuko, though he soon finds out that while her life was spared however, she was transformed into an undead. With newfound resolve, Tanjiro aspires to become a Demon Slayer to not only destroy the demon responsible for the murder of his family, but also come up with a method to transform Nezuko back to being a human.
I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest person who enjoys Demon Slayer mobile games. It’s not to say that the story isn’t great, it’s just not but it’s a typical Shonen setting with a determined protagonist with a purpose to keep them going throughout the series. It’s not a bad effort, but I’ve seen similar stories before. In the end, what makes Demon Slayer mobile games stand out and the reason I believe it’s the most popular of them all is its varied cast of characters. A lot of them are a joy to watch for any reason, be it Zenitsu having panic attacks that are intense over seemingly insignificant matters, Inosuke being a parody of other shonen heroes who only think of fighting, Shinobu’s constant positive demeanor to the point that it’s almost frightening the list goes on! The same is true for the many enemies Tanjiro has to fight with, who frequently provide a sympathetic background that explains why they behave in the manner they do.
It’s a shame that the weakest of them is our favorite, Tanjiro. I didn’t really dislike the guy, but he’s boring. His distinctive traits include having a strong sense of smell, a tough head that’s frequently employed to headbutt other people, in addition to… and that’s it. Like you would expect, his determination to never quit and is a kind heart, but these kinds of traits are a mere dozen for protagonists in this genre. What separates him is that his motivation is a noble one, and he always thinks about the needs of others first, to the point of frequently taking on the demons who he battles. This really helps us understand his development! Before you ask yes. Nezuko is adorable, and, despite the fact she isn’t even speaking she is the emotional core of the story. I was eager to see her back to her normal.
The question that is now posed is: does Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chroniclesserve as a good way to experience this story in the beginning? It’s a bit complex. The major events of the story are covered in the game’s story, even though it is definitely an abridged retelling. Although I do appreciate the fact that it offers an optional way to see scenes that aren’t included within the game by using the use of Memory Fragments. This kind of mishap is because some of them are getting locked out later on in the game, so scenes near the start of the story are locked off until you get to an earlier time in the game’s narrative. It’s not a good idea. Whatever, the game is the best way to experience a condensed version of the Demon Slayer mobile gamesstory!
Gameplay – Story Mode
Every arc of Demon Slayer Mobile Games: The Hinokami Chroniclesis separated into chapters. To get through the game, you’ll need to finish all eight chapters. It’s suggested to do so, as it’s the fastest way to unlock all the characters and stages you’ll use in the game’s combat mode. It’s unfortunate that the quality of the story mode isn’t consistent. When Tanjiro is on the hunt to save his sister, he’ll often find himself exploring unusual environments, jumping over rooftops and sliding beneath vegetation. Sounds interesting, right? But, the exploration portions aren’t the most effective part of the campaign. The interactive elements I described can only be done at specific locations. This is a strange choice considering how agile the characters you’ll control are in scene cuts. Further complicating the issue is that your character moves at an extremely slow speed and there is no way to increase your movement speed. There are other side missions you can take on but calling them “side quests” is rather generous. They are all about talking to certain people or dealing with objects all of which are noted on your map, which takes away any enjoyment from completely exploring every place.
It’s also a problem that the narrative is often slow too, with you often needing to watch a lot of cutscenesand the previously explained exploration sections before you can fight any demons. However, the moments when you’re forced to unsheath your sword lead to great moments in the adventure! This is particularly true for the amazing boss battles! All of these fights add distinct elements to add spice to the battle, whether it be making use of your move options to dodge big attacks or taking on more than one boss at the same time. The fights end with an immaculately crafted interactive cutscene with CyberConnect2’s now-famous quick-time event sequences. There’s a little point here, but as good as these ending sections of boss fights are, I was disappointed to learn there were some fast-time event sequences are only requiring two or one button press in comparison to CyberConnect2’s past titles.
In addition to the main story In addition, you’ll unlock special demons to fight as you complete each chapter. While they’re completely optional I found them enjoyable due to their complexity and unique gameplay like the one that inflicts poison when attacking! Good thing too, since the vast majority of the single-player game is easy. The chances of dying are very low, as attacks are regularly telegraphed and can be dodged by timing them correctly. The game is thankfully more challenging towards the end but this problem isn’t a hindrance to the great boss encounters.
Gameplay – Combat System
The main draw to Demon Slayer Mobile Game: the Hinokami Chroniclesis being able to play as your favorite characters in a thrilling combat game. I’m happy to report the combat system that the game gives you is one of its best features! CyberConnect2 did not have a reputation as a combat system that was balanced and it took them a number of episodes in the Naruto Storm series to repair the broken mechanisms they introduced, for instance. The entire experience was profitable, but the combat mechanics and mechanics in Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles are among the finest CyberConnect2 has ever designed!
Players pick two characters and one of them acts as a backup character to extend combos , or help your opponent from a combo. Battles are held in a 3D environment, where combatants can move in any direction within the arena. Moving is mostly accomplished with ground dashes and sidesteps. Ground dashes possess the homing property, and so do your assists, though if an opponent performs a sidestep, it’ll remove the homing property. Not only can your secondary character help you and assist you, but you’ll also have the ability to switch places together, allowing you to expand combos or make previously insecure moves more reliable. When you block attacks, it’s one option to consider, you can additionally push block to provide an extra space between you and your opponent. Or by using good timing, parry their attack and leave them wide open for the possibility of a combo. And on top of that, you have a blue gauge to use to perform special attacks as well as a super gauge you can use to play your most powerful attack or improve your speed and attack for a short period of time.
In addition to the choices in combat, there’s much more complex mechanics that you can play with. At any moment, you can halt an attack by jumping, sidestepping or dashing by spending one bar on the blue-colored meter. This is the same meter used to perform special attacks, and as you are able to hold a maximum amount of 5 bars, you must think carefully about how to utilize it. When you hit the combo you want to, based on the type of attack you are using it will be accompanied by a small colored wheel that can be seen on the side of your combo meter. This determines how long you can strike your opponent before they will not be damaged. If your gauge’s gauge’s value is green, which is typically when you are able to successfully tackle your opponent, you can execute a lengthy combination. If your gauge’s color is red, that is the norm when you attack an opponent from above, the amount of time that you can hurt your opponent is greatly reduced. When all this is put together and it produces one of the most entertaining fighting games I’ve played for many years! It’s quick to learn how to play, however there is enough depth to please gamers who want it. I can definitely envision myself playing Demon Slayer Mobile Games The Hinokami Chroniclesfor quite some time!
It’s not perfect though it has two serious issues that detract from the overall quality of the system. The first is the roster of characters. At the beginning, there are 12 playable characters to choose from, with six of them getting an alternate version with more humorous ultimate attack. It’s not uncommon for a game of fighting to have a small roster however, since certain characters possess very similar special moves with each other I think this game meant to feature a bigger starting list of characters, but it was forced to launch now. This theory is strengthened with the anime adaptation of Demon Slayer Mobile Games which is set to begin its second season less than a week before the game’s launch. On the plus side, we know that this game is going to be receiving 6 DLC characters at no cost This means that this roster deficiency won’t be a concern for much time.
The other issue is a much more significant issue, one that could impact the game’s experience if it’s not addressed. For the PlayStation 4 version I’ve experienced and it has been regularly shared by numerous players that there is a noticeable input delay when entering moves in the game. This isn’t only a problem for play online, but it also happens when playing the game locally. This means that a player’s response time is severely hindered and in a game that demands precise timing to parry moves, how this issue got beyond testing is puzzling! Although reports of this delay occurring in other games like PlayStation 5 and PC PlayStation 5 and PC are contradictory, it’s assumed that the current generation of hardware does not have this delay in input. We’ll just have to wait and see if the delay issue will be resolved in the PlayStation four version of the game, but that’s not an assurance.
Gameplay – Online
As someone who’s played for many years playing CyberConnect2’s games online I’m familiar with how their games are played and, unfortunately, the results can be quite erratic. Since their inception, they’ve constantly improved the online options offered to players, like having lobbies, tournaments and a spectator mode. Though when Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 was launched in 2016, a lot of the options for players were lacking. There was no way to set up lobbies with more than 4 players and spectating games could not anymore be used. This was fixed with the “Road To Boruto expansion one year later and you’d think the studio had learned their lesson and would not be compromising on online play options for their subsequent games, wouldn’t it? It’s not so… Let’s just suppose they’ve found the way for online gaming to be more restricted!
There are only two ways to play online. Ranked matches to show your superiority in the game’s ranking system and custom matches, in which you can alter various options and invite friends to join in… that’s it. I’ve met many amazing people when playing online games from CyberConnect2, which was thanks to their previous fighting game titles offering online lobbies and spectator options. By eliminating these options and offering us the basic options and the players’ community Demon Slayer Mobile Games Hinokami Chronicles Hinokami Chroniclesis really going to suffer in the long time! For instance, there will be no easy way to arrange online tournaments that will ultimately affect the game’s potential competitive scene. Like the input delay problem on PlayStation 4, we can only hope these options will be implemented into the game further down the line.
In the context of that input delay issue again we’ll talk about its netcode. It’s a delay-based netcode, which has caused quite a few fighting game aficionados to sigh in unison. Based on the connection to the opponent you’ll either be able to win a battle, or play a game with an enormous delay in input. When you add the game’s present input delay issue on the PlayStation 4 version, you might experience an astonishment amount of input delays when fighting online! I’ve been through a lot of online battles against people from my region and, while I grew used to the issue, I’m not sure everyone will have the patience to do so.
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Presentation
If there’s an area in which CyberConnect2 never fails to impress, it’s the presentation of their games, and Demon Slayer Mobile Games: The Hinokami Chroniclesis no exception. The game is gorgeous! Cel shaders have changed dramatically over the last 20 years and some of the best applications of this visual style blurred the lines between 2D and 3D motion. I regularly had to raise my jaw off the floor by the way the images and characters were reconstructed from the anime adaptation and, in a few instances it is completely superior to it! If you think about it, I’m comparing CyberConnect2’s efforts with ufotable which is one of the most acclaimed animation studios in the industry of anime, it speaks volumes! I had to constantly be reminded that it was not an 2D animated game because of how well the anime’s art style changed to a 3-dimensional space! The animation in all its forms, whether a comedic story sequence or an epic attack that has astonishingly impressive production quality were outstanding! There are some flaws, but while the environments you’ll explore within the game’s story modes are unique and packed with detail, I noticed the occasional moments of texture popping up. It’s a minor point when compared with how incredible the game looks when it’s in motion!
Surprisinglyenough, the loading times were very respectable regardless of the PlayStation 4. The game took between 10 and 15 seconds, regardless if it was a cutscene in the story mode or a multiplayer battle, therefore, kudos for the speed improvement on older platforms! The game is running at a steady 30 frames a second. Some people might scoff at this, particularly since it being a fighting game, I thought it created an immersive feel and made it more in line with the original source material!
The sound quality is also a great feature! In addition to the fact that the game utilize some of the pieces of the now famous anime soundtrack but the original soundtracks are perfectly in line with the overall tone and I have never tired of listening to the same battle songs while playing with my friends online for over 20 matches in consecutive matches! It’s a first for a licensed anime game, the game also received the dual audio track, which includes the option of both English in addition to Japanese voice actors available immediately out of the box. While I originally watched the anime in its original Japanese language but the English voice actors do great job and which includes Bryce Papenbrook as Inosuke being the clear standout for me! It was not simple to portray the character’s unpredictable energy but I think Byrce absolutely nailed it with his performance! Although I’m going to bring up Zach Aguilar’s portrayal of the protagonist of the show, Tanjiro. Although he does a good job overall but, when he needed to yell or express intense emotions such as crying or anger, the tone and delivery do not reflect the rest of his character. It reached the point at which, during these instances and he sounded almost like the character he played was a different character. It was highly distracting!
Verdict
To be honest to you that I’m between an iceberg and a hard spot with Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles. This is a 3D-based fighting game from one of my most favorite game studios that has a well-known anime franchise to back it. I was sold from very moment it was announced at the beginning of March in 2020! The fact it was published by one of my favourite gaming companies SEGA and SEGA, certainly didn’t help things either! It’s true that I had a great time enjoying it even though I’m not the most enthusiastic about Demon Slayer mobile games when compared to Naruto, but there are some inexplicably bad things that prevent it from being a masterpiece. The absence of online options and the slow input speed as well as the slow-paced narrative deter me from giving a solid recommendation, however I am aware more than anyone that there’s a market out there for a game like this.
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