Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaba - The Hinokami Chronicles 2

I'm probably one of the few anime fans that hasn't really picked up much of Demon Slayer, either in manga or anime form. In part because I can recognise a long-running shonen when I see one and I always fall behind on these things. That said, I have picked up a lot about the series through pop culture references, events and fan art, so I don't feel that I'm going into this release blind. 

Cyberconnect2 are no strangers to developing action titles from shonen works, their Naruto Ninja Storm series is well regarded by most Naruto fans as a pleasing conversion of the story to an interactive medium, and my recent review of Edens Zero proved to me that a game can also be a great on-boarding point for a lot of fans to a series too, so I was curious to see just how Demon Slayer would translate from screen to, er, screen.

Following directly on from the previous game, which took us to the end of the Mugen Train arc, here we shift to the Red Light District and the Hashira Training arc. If you missed the first game, there is a catch-up mode which takes you through six short battles to fill in the blanks, so that's an appreciated bit of effort by the developers when they could instead insist you just buy the earlier game. Even the controls - a standard attack button and one for specials - haven't changed either. An assist bar can be built up to bring in a supporting character, swap them into your place, boost your own attacks or even have them help you evade, it's all very simple and easy to pick up, which given the wide-range in the age of Demon Slayer fans is probably a safe route to take. You'll pick up almost 40 characters to work with throughout the game, so it's a big roster with lots of options to keep things fresh and exciting.

The game engine is sharp and presents attacks beautifully

The game wisely takes a very varied approach to its action, mixing musou-style crowd battles with multi-level boss battles and everything in between. Coupled with your partner mechanic it allows for player strategies to be varied and inventive, which is a great way to appreciate the pretty solid hit-boxes and attack patterns you'll be facing. 

Like Edens Zero, a large part of the appeal is exploration - you can walk around the Red Light District and discover its delights for yourself, always an enticing project for an imaginative world like Demon Slayer. There are mini games to discover, secrets to find and clues to track down, so take your time to appreciate the world you're in and you'll get a lot of value from the game's 3D world.

Speaking of, the game really does look fantastic. Not cutting edge, but very solid and true to the stylistic tone of the anime. It's wonderful to just explore, but when the action does kick in, you're in for a feast of optical effects that light up the screen and really do a lot to convey the power of your attacks and the threat level of the demons you'll be facing. Music, voice talent and sound effects are all on-point too on PS5, I really have no complaints - it's certainly a step-up from Eden's Zero (sorry for all the comparisons but the two games really do offer many of the same elements). 

One aspect that may prove to be a more Marmite element is the number of cut-scenes in story mode. There are a lot (not unusual for the developer) and while this may be enjoyable and involving for newer fans, if you've seen the series then you'll be watching a lot you'll have seen before and subsequently your mileage may vary on how welcome these are. They do all contribute to the story and, in the main, look great, but more experienced fans may find the constant stop-start nature of Story-mode to be frustrating.

To counter this, the game has a roguelike mode which is all action in the Hashira Training Mode. Let's be clear, this is a pretty small element of the game and is meant for multiple playthroughs rather than representing another full campaign, but it offers simple upgrades as you progress in order to unlock points for use in the gallery mode. It's a good way to show off the game engine and keep it all-action, but it's very much a value-add than a game proper. It is fun though, and worthy of some time to sharpen your skills.

What I will say is that, unlike a certain other game I've resolved to stop mentioning, Demon Hunter: the Hinokami Chronicles 2 is very much a game for existing fans. Yes, catch-up mode is nice, but it still doesn't relay the essence of the characters nearly as well as something that starts at the beginning, and here we are already deeply into the hero's journey. It's no fault of the game, it very competently provides everything a fan might be looking for in terms of action and exploration, but it's not a jumping-on point. Fans will, of course, get the most out of what's on offer and might want to add a point to the overall score.