Anime-based video games have been and remain popular, with eagerly anticipated upcoming titles like Dragon Ball: The Breakers and One Piece Odyssey coming this year. Since so many games are released every year and licensed video games often have a bad reputation, most anime-based video games are either forgotten or simply unknown. Additionally, some of these titles are never published outside of Japan.
Despite their vagueness or poor reviews, many of these anime-based games have interesting ideas and gameplay elements. Even without being an anime fan, games like MS Saga: A New Dawn are worth checking out.
Vampire Hunter D (1999)
Released on PlayStation in 1999, Vampire Hunter D is a survival horror, which is loosely based on the animated film Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, which in turn is based on the third light novel in the Vampire Hunter D series called Demon Deathchase. To see also : Pitt State All American was previously nominated for the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. When a young woman named Charlotte Elbourne is abducted from her home by vampire nobleman Meier Link, Charlotte’s father, John, hires the eponymous dhampir, D, to save her.
With the help of a conscious symbiote who is simply called “Left Hand”, D explores Chaythe Castle, fights enemies, and slowly learns the truth about what is happening. While the game has received poor reviews for extremely pixelated graphics and awkward controls, the gothic art style, extensive voice acting, hack and slash elements, and the existence of three different endings make it a worthwhile experience for fans.
Serial Experiments Lain (1998)
Developed at the same time as the influential anime of the same name, Serial Experiments Lain is a multimedia experience from 1998 that was released for PlayStation. Despite similar themes, the game has an alternate continuity with a different storyline and cast of characters. To progress through the story, players select nodes in a strange multi-level virtual space, each of these nodes revealing videos, audio logs, diary entries, and notes.
The game follows the title Lain and her therapist, Touko Yoner, as they both struggle with mental health and their existence in society. Read also : Why did they take ‘Criminal Minds’ from Netflix? Where to look. Although only released in Japan, fan-translated English script was completed in 2014, and the web browser port was released in 2021.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project (2004)
Created as a continuation of the 2001 game Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ayanami Raising Project, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project is a life simulator from 2004, in which the player, as Misato Katsuragi, has to “pick up” the protagonist, Shinji Ikari, assigning him to him certain tasks. Read also : Xbox 101? 3 out of 5 people think video games should be part of the school’s core curriculum!. Since Gainax created both the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and the Princes Maker otome series, it is not surprising that the gameplay in the Raising Project series is similar to Princess Maker.
Depending on the selected quests and dialogue options, Shinji will have different stats that lead him to multiple paths, endings, and possible love interests. Like other official Neon Genesis Evangelion games, this title has an LGBTQ + option. Shinji may have a romantic relationship with the male character Kaworu Nagisa as well as other female characters. Although it was never released outside of Japan, there is a fan-translated patch into English.
The Prince of Tennis: More Prince of the School Festival -More Sweet Edition- (2010)
Despite the fact that “The Prince of Tennis” is a shōnen franchise, meaning it was made for the young male demographic, the series has had many official dating sims released over the years where the protagonist can go out with one of the male characters . One of these games, which also got an English patch translated by fans, is the 2010 DS game “The Prince of Tennis: More Prince of the School Festival – More Sweet Edition.”
Developed as an extended version of The Prince of Tennis: Prince of the School Festival on PlayStation 2, the player is a tennis manager who needs to help organize the upcoming big school festival as well as having a romance with one of the guys. Including one secret character, there are 38 different characters that the player can meet.
Detective Conan & Kindaichi Case Files: Chance Meeting of Two Great Detectives (2009)
Prior to merging with Chunsoft and becoming Spike Chunsoft, Spike was already a game developer whose staff consisted of former Human Entertainment members who were best known for creating the Clock Tower franchise. One of Spike’s games was the 2009 DS game Detective Conan & amp; Kindaichi Case Files: Chance Meeting of Two Great Detectives, which is a cross between the anime series “Detective Conan” and The Kindaichi Case Files.
The game features characters from both series trying to unravel the mysteries of Twilight Island, which has a local legend where people are sometimes reportedly transported to an alternate reality. Along with the two Game Boy Color games, this is one of the few Detective Conan games with an English fan translation.
MS Saga: A New Dawn (2005)
Made for fans and newbies alike, MS Saga: A New Dawn is a 2005 PlayStation 2 JRPG that takes place after the classic Universal Century era of the Gundam franchise. After a mysterious organization known as Dark Alliance uses Mobile Suits to destroy their orphanage, the protagonist Tristan and his friend Fritz decide to get their own Mobile Suits and take revenge.
As they gain more allies, they slowly discover a darker conspiracy. While the storyline is general, the game is worth playing as players can customize their own suits for use in turn-based battles.
Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu’s Dororo (2004)
Developed by Sega and released in 2004 for PlayStation 2, Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu’s Dororo is a third-person hack-and-slash game with a few small RPG elements. The game is based on the Dororo anime series, created by Osamu Tezuka, often referred to as the “father of the manga” and best known for creating the cult Astro Boy series.
In order to get rid of the curse and recover the lost body parts, Ronin Hyakkimaru embarks on a destined journey to defeat 48 monsters known as Fiends with the help of a young thief named Dororo. While the game changed some elements from the source material to make it more carefree, it is still a fun and engaging adaptation of this historical series.
Magic Knight Rayearth (1995)
Released in 1995 for Sega Saturn, Magic Knight Rayearth is a JRPG action game based on the CLAMP magic girls series of the same name. Despite being one of the first games released for Saturn, problems with English localization led to the game being the last Saturn title released in North America.
After the first thread of the series, the game focuses on three eighth grade girls, Hikaru Shidou, Umi Ryuuzaki and Fuu Hououji, who are transferred to another world called Cephiro during their trip to Tokyo Tower. To return home, three girls must become a Magic Knight and save Princess Emeraude. While the game mostly follows the franchise’s storyline, new locations, characters, and scenes have emerged, making the experience worthwhile for fans and newbies alike.
Blood+ One Night Kiss (2006)
Following the creation of the iconic Killer7, famous video game designer Goichi Suda, better known as Suda51, created Japan’s only 2006 action adventure game for PlayStation 2, Blood + One Night Kiss, which shares the same cel-shaded style. Based on the anime series Blood +, which is an alternate universe to the original Blood: The Last Vampire, the game takes place after Episode 7 on a day not included in the show’s canon.
In the fictional town of Shikishi, players control both the heroine of the series, high school student Saya Otonashi, and an original character named Kou Aoyama, who is a detective, fighting bloodsucking, bat-like creatures called chiropterans. Even if the player has not seen the original series, it is worth playing this game alone for Suda51’s unique concepts and themes.
Jump Ultimate Stars (2006)
After the hilariously horrible Jump Force game from 2019 was released, fans of the Weekly Shōnen Jump series can wish for a really well-made crossover. Fortunately, an excellent crossover game from 2006, only available in Japan, called Jump Ultimate Stars has arrived on the DS.
Developed as a follow-up to the 2005 Japanese Jump Super Stars, the game features 305 characters from 41 different shōnen manga series. By combining different manga panels on the lower screen, players can customize their fighters. When players fight in Story Mode, they can unlock new panels or upgrade existing ones.
NEXT: Top 10 Anime-Based Games According to Metacritic
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