Prior to last month, I had never touched or seen any Demon Slayer media. That all changed when I got to preview Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 during Summer Games Fest, and it really piqued my interest. Since then, I have binged the entire anime and, like millions of others, am awaiting the international release of the next movie in September. Thus, I was eager to get my hands on this game again now that I actually know the characters and world of Demon Slayer. With that, let’s dive in to see how well the game captures the essence of the anime.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 has all the features you would expect from an anime fighting game. It has a typical story mode that follows the anime, online and offline versus modes, as well as a recap mode that lets you experience the major fights of the first season and Mugen Train arcs. Then, there’s the Training Paths mode which has increasingly harder fights as you try to reach the Hashira at the end.
Obviously, the biggest part of the game is the story mode. The story mode in Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 follows the anime from season 2’s Entertainment District arc all the way through the end of season 4 and the Hashira Training Arc. Thus, completing the game will catch you up to right where the anime left off. The story mode itself does its best to emulate the ufotable style, but it doesn’t reach the heights that the anime reaches in animation and art.
Aside from the fights, the story mode has you exploring or running through very basic maps. The maps are usually very small or follow linear pathing with minor collectibles or side quests to complete. Side quests consists of wither traveling to a secondary location to fight a demon, going to get an item for someone, or finding a specific character to talk to. These parts of the story mode feel barebones and could have been fleshed out to provide more variety to the content in story mode. Story mode also struggles to tell the story fully in game as a lot of key moments are either told through quick slides of scenes from the anime or as memories which must be viewed separately from playing through the chapters.
CyberConnect2 has been doing anime fighting games for over two decades, and Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 feels right in that mold. I felt like I was transported back to the days of playing the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm games over a decade ago. The game doesn’t feel like it has evolved the CyberConnect2 combat formula all that much, so don’t go in expecting the most hardcore fighting game out there though. Despite that, the game is still a lot of fun to play and executing your combos as you string together your attacks trying to build the longest combos you can is still satisfying. The game has a gear system where you can have support skills that trigger such as health restoration, and you can also have a support character join you in battle, unless you’re playing as a demon, that can be swapped with or provide supporting attacks and rescue you from an opposing blow. When it comes to characters, the game features most notable characters from the anime to be playable. Thus, you are able to choose your favorites easily rather it be a Demon Slayer or a demon.
CyberConnect2 still shows they are the best at making Ultimate moves as characters’ Ultimates are stunning and incredible to look at, and some support characters will even allow you to use a Dual Ultimate causing even more spectacle. The only frustrating parts of combat would be the camera does get a bit wonky at times and there is no lock on mechanic in one on one fights despite there being one when you are taking on multiple enemies at once.
Overall, Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is a fun and adequate 3D fighting game despite some frustrations. CyberConnect2 does their best in trying to capture the essence of the anime, and mostly does a good job in that regard, but the story mode still feels lacking in some regards. If you’re a fan of the series, this is a great refresher on the story especially if you haven’t rewatched the anime since the last season ended last year. New fans can jump in and even get the gist of earlier arcs not included in this game, and still have a good time.
Score: 7 out of 10
Reviewed on PlayStation 5