Over the past decade, anime licensed games have transformed significantly! Was once just a breeding ground for games that were subpar and only licensed to sell additional copies has now become some of the most lucrative and popular games in the business! This paradigm shift was because of one studio that determined to push the boundaries of the possibilities of licensed games by creating a truly amazing version of the Shonen Jump franchise, Naruto. Over the course of a decade, CyberConnect2’s Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm series immediately impressed with its gorgeous visuals and love for the source material that led to a series that sold an astounding 15 million copies across six installments! The challenge of capturing the same enthralling quality of this series is no straightforward task, however Demon Slayer Mobile Games: The Hinokami Chronicles is the spiritual successor that those who love the series are waiting for.
Demon Slayer The Hinokami Chronicles is a 3D arena combat game created by CyberConnect2 and was published by SEGA. Based on the original manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, the series has become one of Shonen Jump’s most successful series. The anime adaptation was created by UFOTOTAL, the top-grossing anime film of 2021 and in the near future, a console video game from a renowned developer, it’s evident this Demon Slayer mobile games are a huge hit in the animixplay community! There’s no doubt that the odds are in favor of Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chroniclesto be a great time, but can the game’s console debut meet this incredibly high bar?
Table of Contents
Story
Demon Slayer Mobile Games Hinokami Chronicles: Hinokami Chronicles retells the events from to the Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc, all the way up until the Mugen Train arc. You take control of Tanjiro Kamado whose world is changed after he discovers that the entire family of his was killed by an evil spirit. The sole survivor is his sister Nezuko, though he soon learns that while Nezuko’s life was not affected however, she was transformed into an undead. With newfound resolve, Tanjiro aspires to become a Demon Slayer to not only eliminate the demon who killed his family members, but to come up with a method to transform Nezuko back to a human.
I’ll be honest and admit that I’m not the greatest player of Demon Slayer mobile games. Not to say the story isn’t good, because it’s not; it’s your traditional Shonen setup with a resolute protagonist and a mission to keep them motivated throughout the series. It’s not a bad effort though I’ve read similar stories many times before. With that said though the thing that makes Demon Slayer mobile games stand out and why I think it’s extremely popular is due to its diverse character cast. Many of them are a joy to watch for any reason, be it Zenitsu having severe panic attacks on the most insignificant things, Inosuke being a parody of other shonen heroes who think of nothing but fighting, Shinobu’s constant positive outlook until it’s almost disturbing and the list goes on! This is also true of the numerous adversaries Tanjiro must face with, who frequently are able to have a sympathetic story that explains why they behave the way they do.
It’s a shame that the weakest of the heroes is Tanjiro. I didn’t really dislike him, but he’s boring. His distinctive traits include possessing a keen sense of smell, a hard head that’s regularly employed to headbutt other people, and… that’s all. It’s not surprising that he has the tenacity to never give up and has a strong heart, but these kinds of traits are a dime a dozen for characters within this type of story. What sets him apart though is that his motivation is altruistic and he puts others before himself, even to the point of regularly taking on the demons he defeats. This is a great way to be supportive of his growth! Before you ask yes. Nezuko is adorable, and, despite the fact she barely says anything she is the emotional center of the story. I was hoping to see her go back to her normal.
This is the most important question: does Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chroniclesserve as a ideal way to discover the story for the first time? The answer is a little complicated. The main events in the story are included in the game’s narrative, though it is definitely an abridged telling. Although I do appreciate the fact that the game provides the option of seeing scenes that aren’t covered within the game by using something called Memory Fragments. Where this sort of fumbles is because of some of them being unlocked later in the game, meaning scenes in the early stages of the story will be locked off until you reach an earlier moment in the game’s story. It’s not very logical. Whatever, the game is the best way to experience an encapsulated version of the Demon Slayer mobile gamesstory!
Gameplay – Story Mode
Each arc in Demon Slayer Mobile Games: The Hinokami Chroniclesis separated into chapters. To be able to finish the game, players need to finish the entire eight chapters. It’s recommended to do so, as it’s the easiest method of unlocking all the characters and the stages that you’ll be using in the game’s against mode. It’s unfortunate then there’s no guarantee that this story is consistently. As Tanjiro tries in order to rescue his daughter you’ll see him exploring new environments, jumping over rooftops, and sliding under the bushes. It’s interesting, right? But, the exploration portions aren’t the most effective part of the game. The interactive elements I discussed can only be completed at specific locations. This was an odd choice, considering how agile the characters you control will be in scene cuts. Compounding this problem is how your character’s movement is at a frustratingly slow pace but there’s no method to increase your speed. There are side quests that you may tackle however to label them side quests is quite generous. They are all about conversing with certain individuals or interacting with objects, all of which are noted by your map. This takes away some of the enjoyment of thoroughly exploring each environment.
It doesn’t help that the story is often poorly paced as well, with you frequently needing to watch a lot of cut scenes, in addition to those previously described exploration segments before you end up fighting any monsters. However, those times when you are forced to disarm your sword can lead to some of some of the most enjoyable parts of the game! This is especially true with the fantastic boss battles that the game offers! Each of these battles has something unique that makes the game more enjoyable regardless of whether you are using your movements to avoid massive attacks or fighting more than one boss simultaneously. All of these fights also conclude with a stunningly designed cutting-scene interactive with CyberConnect2’s famous quick-time event sequences. There’s a little nitpick here, but as good as the final stages of boss battles are, I was shocked to discover that some of these fast-time events only require two or three button presses and are quite different from the previous titles from CyberConnect2.
In addition to the main story, you’ll also unlock special enemies to take on as you finish each chapter. While not mandatory, I found these to be very enjoyable because of their difficulty and unique gameplay for example, one of them inflicting poison on enemies when they attack! A good thing, considering most of the single-player campaigns is simple. It’s not often that you die due to attacks being regularly broadcast and are able to be avoided if timed well. The game is thankfully more difficult towards the end however this issue doesn’t impact the campaign’s great boss fights.
Gameplay – Combat System
The main draw to Demon Slayer Mobile Game the Hinokami Chroniclesis being able to play as your favourite characters in a thrilling combat game. I’m happy to report the combat system the game offers is definitely one of the best aspects! CyberConnect2 were never known as a combat system that was balanced; it took them many episodes in the Naruto Storm series to fix the broken system they introduced, as an instance. The entire experience was successful, and the mechanics and combat of Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles are among the most impressive they’ve ever made!
Players pick two characters who serve as a backup character to prolong combos or to protect your opponent from a combo. The battles are played in a 3D environment, with combatants able to move freely within the arena. The majority of movement is done using ground dashes and sidesteps. Ground dashes possess properties for homing, just like your assist moves, but should an opponent take sidesteps, they’ll lose the homing properties. Not only can your second chosen character assist you and assist you, but you’ll also have the ability to swap positions with them, allowing players to increase combos or to make previously risky moves more reliable. As for blocking attacks, there is the option you have, but you can also push block to add an extra space between you and your opponent, or using a great timing, parry their attack and leave you open to attack for the possibility of a combo. On top of that there is a blue gauge used for special attacks and a super gauge which you can spend to use your best attack or enhance your speed and attack in a short amount of time.
In addition to the fighting options there’s deeper mechanics to play around with. Any time, you can cancel an attack string by jumping, sidestepping, or dashing. You can do this by using 1 bar of your blue counter. That’s exactly the meter used for special attacks, and being able to keep a maximum of five bars, you need to think carefully about how to use it. When you land the perfect combo, regardless of the initial attack you select the small wheel with a color is displayed next to your combo meter. This is how long you are able to attack your opponent before they can no longer be damaged. In the case that the gauge’s color is green which is usually when you successfully fend off your opponent, you are able to perform a long combination. If the gauge is red, that is the norm when you attack an opponent from above The amount of time that you can hurt the opponent is significantly reduced. When all of this is gathered together this makes for one of the most enjoyable combat games I’ve played over the several years! It’s quick to learn how to play, however there is enough depth to satisfy gamers who want it. I could certainly think of playing Demon Slayer Mobile Games the Hinokami Chroniclesfor quite some time!
It’s not perfect however there are two significant issues that detract from the overall quality of the system. One is the roster of characters: at the beginning, there are 12 characters playable from, with 6 of them receiving an alternate version with more humorous and hilarious ultimate attack. It’s not unusual for a game of fighting to have a limited roster of characters, but because certain characters are very similar in their special moves in common this leads me to think this game designed to have a larger starting roster, but was forced to release now. This belief is reinforced by the anime adaptation of Demon Slayer Mobile Games beginning its anticipated second season less than a week before the game’s release. However, we have confirmation it will be receiving six characters from the DLC for free and this means that the lack of characters won’t be a problem for longer.
Another issue is a more troubling issue and could negatively impact the game unless it is corrected. For the PlayStation 4 version I’ve experienced and been frequently mentioned by a lot of players that there’s a noticeable input delay when entering moves in the game. It’s not just a matter of online play, but this is also the case when playing games locally. This means that a player’s response time is severely reduced and in a situation that demands precise timing to parry moves, how this problem made it beyond testing is puzzling! Although reports of this issue occurring in other games like the PlayStation 5 and PC are contradictory, it’s assumed that the current version of the hardware doesn’t feature this delay in input. We’ll have to hope this issue with delay is fixed on PlayStation 4 version. PlayStation 4 , even though it’s not 100% certain.
Gameplay – Online
Being someone who’s spent a number of years playing CyberConnect2’s games online, I am very aware of how their games work, but their results are a bit skewed. Over the years they’ve continuously improved the online options offered to players, including the addition of lobbies, tournament modes as well as a spectator mode. Although the time Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 was released in the year 2016, a lot of the options available to players were missing. It was impossible to make lobbies for more than 4 people and spectating matches could not longer be done. This was corrected within the Road to Boruto expansion a year later, so you’d think that the studio had learned from its mistakes and would not be compromising on online features for their later titles, right? It’s not so… lets just suppose they’ve found a way for online gaming to be less restricted!
There are only two ways to play online: ranked matches that show your superiority in games’ ranking systems. Also, you can play custom matches, which allows you to change options and invite a friend to join in… and that’s all there is. I’ve met a lot of amazing people by playing games with CyberConnect2 online that was due to their previous fighting game titles offering online lobbies and spectator options. In removing these options and providing us with the minimum options, the community of Demon Slayer Mobile Games: and the Hinokami Chroniclesis really going to be affected in the longer term! As an example, there’ll be no easy way to create online tournaments that will ultimately affect the potential competitive aspect of the game. Like the issue of input delay on PlayStation 4, we can only hope that these options are included in the game later on down the line.
Regarding the input delay issue again we’ll talk about Netcode used in the game. The game is based on a delay netcode that I’m sure has caused quite a few fans of fighting games to sigh in unison. Based on the connection to opponents, players will either be able to win a battle, or a game that has massive input delay. If you combine the game’s current issue with input delay for it’s PlayStation 4 version, you might experience an astonishment amount of input delay when fighting online! I’ve played many online games with players from my area and, while I grew used to it, not everyone will be able to engage in this manner.
Presentation
If there’s one area that CyberConnect2 never fails to impress in, it’s their presentation of their games, and Demon Slayer Mobile Games: The Hinokami Chroniclesis no exception. The game is simply stunning! Cel shades have changed significantly in the past two decades , and some instances of the most impressive uses of this visual style have blurred the line of 2D and 3D animation. I often had to raise my jaw from the ground because of how accurately the characters and shots were reconstructed from the anime adaptation and in some instances the game has surpassed it! If you think about it, CyberConnect2’s work is compared against ufotable’s, one of the best animation studios in the industry of anime, it speaks volumes! I had to constantly be reminded that it was not a 2D animated game due to how well the anime’s art style transformed into a 3D world! The animation regardless of whether it was a humorous story sequence or an ultimate assault with amazing production values were outstanding! The game isn’t perfect, however: even though the settings you’ll encounter when playing the Story mode distinct and packed with details however, I saw the occasional moments of texture popping-in. It’s a minor nitpick when compared to the amazing way that the game appears in motion!
Surprisinglyenough, the loading times were fairly decent even on the PlayStation 4. They took between 10-15 seconds, regardless of whether it was a cutscene in the story mode or a multiplayer battle, which is a huge credit to the efficiency on earlier platforms! The game is played at 30 frames per second. Although some may be offended at this, particularly since it being a fighting game, I found it gave the game a cinematic feeling and allowed it to be more faithful to the original source material!
The sound quality is also a highlight! In addition to the fact that the game make use of some of the songs from the now-famous anime soundtrack The original compositions used to the game perfectly reflect the tone too and I never got tired of hearing the same battle music when I was playing online with my friends for over 20 matches in one go! A rare thing to have a licensed anime title, the game also received the dual audio track, which includes the option of both English in addition to Japanese voice acting available from the beginning. Although I initially watched the series in its native Japanese language, the English voice cast does great job as well, with Bryce Papenbrook as Inosuke being an absolute highlight for me! It’s not difficult to convey the character’s chaos and I believe Byrce did a fantastic job with his performance! Although I’m going to highlight Zach Aguilar’s performance as the protagonist of the show, Tanjiro. Although he does an acceptable job overall but, when he needed to yell or express intense emotions like anger or crying, the tone and delivery do not match with the rest of his character. The situation got to the point that when these moments occurred, he almost sounded like that he was playing a totally distinct character. This was quite distracting!
Verdict
It’s fair to say that I’m with you. I’m between two worlds in a difficult place by Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles. This is a 3-D fighting game from one of my most favorite game studios , with a cult anime franchise to back it. I was sold from the very moment it was announced back in March 2020! The fact it was published in the hands of one of my favourite game companies, SEGA and SEGA, certainly didn’t help matters either! It’s true that I had quite having fun playing it even though I’m not the biggest fan of Demon Slayer mobile games as compared to Naruto however, there are some serious issues that hinder it from excellence. There is no online option, the input delay, and the slow pace of the story keep me from giving a solid recommendation, but I am confident more than anyone else that there’s a market available for a game of this type.
