By Dean Moses
Game: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—The Hinokami Chronicles
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
Rating: T for Teen
Cost: $34.99
Last year, developer CyberConnect2 released a 3D fighting, action-adventure game following the famed anime series Demon Slayer. Since the series aired on Netflix it has received wide acclaim from audiences throughout the globe. Like the show, you can choose to play the game with the Japanese audio (English subtitles) or the English dubbed version. For the holidays this title is on sale and may be the perfect gift for anime lovers.
Story
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—The Hinokami Chronicles is the tragic story of Tanjiro Kamado, a young boy who must face constant training and battles after his family was slaughtered by a demon. The only sibling left alive is his little sister, Nezuko, who has become a demon herself. In this story, demons are known to be blood thirsty cruel creatures who feed off of humans; however, instead of drinking blood Nezuko sleeps for long periods of time to rejuvenate her energy. The small downside about this game is that it’s not a new narrative, but rather play through the anime storyline. Of course, the retelling captures all of the nuances of Tanjiro, but it would have been nice to veer off onto some side quests or additional storylines to add more depth.
Gameplay
While this iteration is said to be an action-adventure game, much of the fun is had through battles between demons and boss fights (although when roaming around you can collect memory clips that are fun to watch). In some cases, you can interchange between Nezuko and Tanjiro to defeat enemies. Many of the fights perfectly align with the anime’s narrative, and seamlessly transition to emotional cut scenes. The fighting formula is simple enough with light attacks, heavy strikes, and a variety of combinations and specials.
Conclusion
Overall, Demon Slayer is a great game to relive the Tanjiro’s journey in epic fashion. The graphics are stunning, rivaling the anime series. When played on the latest generation consoles, Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, you can choose between 30 FPS and 60 FPS allowing the game to run faster and smoother.
