Despite being someone who devoted a lot of their early teenage years to watching anime, I was slow to join the hype train when Demon Slayer became incredibly popular. All my fellow anime-loving friends were suggesting it relentlessly to me, but I still held off. After watching the first few episodes of the first season, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles was released. Rather than watching the anime, I could now play it.
This game covers the first season of the anime, ending with the Mugen Train movie. So, if you’re like me and barely sunk your teeth into the show you get a wealthy recap before you begin your adventure. However, as sought-after as this title has been, there are some elements to gameplay that let the whole experience down.
The story of the Hinokami Chronicles condenses most major plot points in the first season of Demon Slayer. So, as you can imagine – there is a lot of talking from the get-go. This may be beneficial to some players, as long as you’re prepared to face some seriously long cinematic cutscenes.
Like I said, I went into this game already vaguely familiar with the story, so the lengthy, unskippable cutscenes towards the beginning of the game left me making a cup of tea and grabbing some snacks before sitting down and getting anywhere close to starting the gameplay. However, once you do get to take the reigns, you’re faced with an in-depth tutorial that takes you through every fighting element.
What’s in store
Essentially, this title is a fighting game with occasional action elements – like exploring a mountain while encountering several demons before facing a boss. But primarily, it’s hands-on combo-based combat with towering, terrific opponents. It’s a fantastic gateway into the franchise and introduces you to a number of significant characters and enemies. Engaging in combat definitely satisfies some of the pent-up stress from watching the show.
A simple approach to combat
That being said, one of the elements that let the title down is how incredibly basic its combat structure is. There are few defense mechanisms, and most of the time the hit will somehow phase through and you’ll take the damage anyway. Combat between the more common demons is simple. There are a few buttons you need to hit before successfully defeating them. They follow the same, easy-to-remember moveset, and every single interaction with them is the same.
As I mentioned already, the tutorial at the beginning of the game takes you through every control you need to know. While it definitely looks fantastic, it’s just so repetitive. The only real excitement comes from boss battles. Where you face off against a different series of moves and more than one form of the same boss. You need to utilize dodging and timing in order to land a hit and not leave yourself open for attack. I thoroughly enjoyed these instances, and the detail on the bosses is immense. They aren’t hard encounters, but they are fun nonetheless.
A challenger approaches
Additionally, there’s an added challenge when you face other human players. Although it may seem challenging to keep up with their attacks, as you progress through the game you’ll realize it’s more of a waiting game. You wait for your opponent to be vulnerable before rising to their challenge and landing a four-hit combo. Essentially, you just need to repeat these steps before you can finish the battle.
The story mode really tries to keep you engaged between battles by reminding you of key elements of Demon Slayer. It showcases phenomenally beautiful cutscenes and introduces you to key players which become available in versus mode. Further rewards are available while you progress through the chapters. Additionally, this game opens up the chance of unlocking art, costumes, and various other in-game rewards.
Final Thoughts
With six hours of gameplay to hand, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles is occasionally a very engaging game. With an incredibly story-telling nature and a Rolodex of enemies to face, if you’re new to Demon Slayer then this may be a foot in the door. However, if you are familiar and consider yourself a fan of the franchise then I think there are just a few too many holes in the mechanics and story to sell this game to you.
But, if you’re willing, then I would recommend it for a fun hands-on approach to a much-loved title. It won’t be that detrimental to your love for the franchise, but be prepared to question certain elements.
