Demon Slayer continues to rise in popularity with each passing year. Ever since the release of the ufotable-produced anime in 2019, it’s hard to find any fan of the medium who isn’t a fan of the series. Beyond the anime and manga, video games have also served as a medium for the series to grow. The most prominent example of this is Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles, developed by CyberConnect2 and released in 2021 just as the incredibly popular second season was kicking off.
I played my fair share of the game back at its release, earning the shiny Platinum trophy after just around 15 hours. After a short few years, The Hinokami Chronicles is officially receiving a sequel, aptly titled The Hinokami Chronicles 2, due out this August. During my time at Summer Game Fest: Play Days 2025, I had the opportunity to check out one level from the upcoming game with the SEGA team. While it may be seen as more of the same for fans of the original, The Hinokami Chronicles 2 seeks to provide an enjoyable experience for all players.
Just like the first game in the series, this sequel does an incredible job of animating the in-game models to look nearly identical to the anime. Cutscenes are expressive, offering a true and high-quality retelling of the story. All voice actors reprise their roles in both Japanese and English, so iconic lines and moments are recreated in excellent fashion. My demo focused on the fight between Tanjiro and Daki in the Entertainment District, and I found the animation to be exactly as I remembered the anime.
While my demo session only covered one brief moment from the Entertainment District Arc, you will be able to experience both the Swordsmith Village and Hashira Training Arcs as well. Ultimately, this puts The Hinokami Chronicles series right in line and up to date with the anime series, though that will change once the Infinity Castle films begin to release. These three seasons covered a total of 37 episodes, so I think we can expect at least an 8-10 hour runtime for the story mode.
Each story mission adds elements that focus on different characters’ abilities in exploration. This is just like the first game, where you could use Tanjiro’s nose to sniff out demons. The demo offered a section where Inosuke ran through a building, destroying walls in an attempt to locate the scent of a demon. Combined with boss battles and cutscenes, this is what you can expect from the story offering of The Hinokami Chronicles 2.
Beyond new story content, there are a few legitimate upgrades that have been made to the mechanics and gameplay offerings. One of these is Dual Ultimates, which essentially allows you to pit certain characters together to create a dual ultimate attack (as the name implies). Additionally, the new Gear system is another highlight. Here, you’re able to throw different abilities onto characters in both story and VS mode, powering up your attacks. The customization here allows you to choose to either focus on increasing attack power or recovering health in battle, so you can tweak your build according to your playstyle and strengths.
Another key point that I think many fans will be excited about is the numerous playable characters. The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is set to feature over 40 different playable characters, and this includes all nine of the Hashira. This is a huge increase from the original game, which started at 18 characters before DLC updates. All characters from The Hinokami Chronicles will be returning to this game, so rest assured if you had a favorite character there.
These characters can all face off against one another in VS mode, even if they never fight in the story. The first game supported both local and online multiplayer, and it’s the same for this one. Much is being carried over to this sequel in regard to design, offerings, and content, but that is no different from previous CC2 series like Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm. Overall, if you’re a fan of anime, Demon Slayer, or someone just interested in jumping into the series for the first time, The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is shaping up to be a worthy successor to its predecessor.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is set to launch on August 5 across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. The game will also be playable on Nintendo Switch 2 through backwards compatibility, but no native Switch 2 version has been announced at this time.
