CyberConnect2, the developers behind the .hack franchise and the highly successful Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series, are back to give players another adventure in the world of Demon Slayer in Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2. The sequel not only picks up right after the end of the first game, but it arrives at a pivotal time in the Demon Slayer series as the Infinity Castle arc finally gets adapted into its first of three anime films. Considering the timing of this game’s release, I wondered if it would be a great option for refreshing my mind on the Demon Slayer series before watching Infinity Castle this September, and emphatically, the answer is yes.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 plays it very safe as another anime fighter from CyberConnect2, but that’s not a bad thing, mostly. Admittedly, I didn’t play the first Hinokami Chronicles, but I have played several Ultimate Ninja Storm games over the years. It’s clear as day that the design of this game borrows heavily from the foundation that Ultimate Ninja Storm previously laid, from its structure to the music, and even those QTEs. Although this game is repetitive, there’s still a lot to enjoy here as a Demon Slayer fan, and in some aspects, I prefer playing this to rewatching some episodes of the anime again.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 Covers Up to the End of Hashira Training Arc
For starters, the story mode of The Hinokami Chronicles 2 covers the Entertainment District Arc all the way up to the finale of the Hashira Training Arc, so it goes as far as what has been covered in the anime series thus far. The story mode is rather straightforward as it follows the events of the anime and manga in a shorter and more digestible form, as you’d expect from CyberConnect2’s anime games. There are playable missions and Memory Fragments, which condense certain scenes and backstories between missions.
With protagonist Tanjiro Kamado as the main playable character, there are multiple chapters to play through, which are full of in-engine cutscenes and moments with full English and Japanese voice acting. If there’s one thing I seriously appreciate about games like Bleach: Rebirth of Souls and The Hinokami Chronicles 2, it’s that these games bring out the flair that I appreciate from the anime, but in a fun gaming format. This is clear from the start of The Hinokami Chronicles 2’s story mode until the very end, especially after the credits.
My only real gripe with the story mode itself involves the structuring of content, as I had hoped it would be a little more seamless than it actually is. The chapter structure means that you will be going back to the story mode’s menu a lot. Personally, I prefer these anime games to tell their story without those breaks in gameplay, similarly to Ultimate Ninja Storm 2’s Adventure Mode.
Fun, But Repetitive
Combat is actually really fun and even challenging at times, thanks to the CPU. There are basic attacks, heavy attacks, support attacks, skills, parrying, dodging, shoves, throws, and Ultimate Arts, which should sound rudimentary for an anime fighter already. Of course, you can string together attacks for combos, which build up the Special Gauge. The Special Gauge can be used to activate Boost or Surge to refill the skill, support, and demon gauges to keep the fight going in your favor or unleash an Ultimate Art to seal your victory.
You’ll quickly become familiar with the combat system in the first chapter of the story mode, and by the end of it, you should be familiar with how to press your opponent with attacks, correctly dodge or push away attacks, and find the opportune moments to strike. The fights can be quite flashy, especially with Ultimate Arts and the occasional mission that requires you to take on several mob enemies on the field. Although the AI put up a really good fight, the combat gets quite repetitive as you progress through the chapters.
I would have liked more field missions, but I did like the variety of side quests that Hinokami Chronicles 2 offers in its explorable missions, which are reminiscent of Adventure Mode missions in Ultimate Ninja Storm. During these missions, you can accept the aforementioned side quests, talk to NPCs, and find collectible rewards like illustrations and accessories. There are plenty of explorable areas in The Hinokami Chronicles 2, but again, I wish this were more seamless instead of being contained in missions. You can also use special abilities that are unique to Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke in these areas, but the abilities are used so sparingly that it doesn’t feel fleshed out enough.
Feature-Rich for Demon Slayer Fans
One notable feature of The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is the Gear system, which lets players equip items that activate status effects in battle, such as increased attack or defense, under certain conditions. It’s self-explanatory, but Gear definitely helps toward getting S Ranks in story missions in order to get all the rewards. Getting these high ranks and playing through content will increase your Mastery rank for the character you’re playing as, which will, in turn, unlock even more rewards.
Aside from the story mode, players can expect offline local play in VS Mode, online matches, an abridged version of past story arcs in “The Path of Demon Slayer” mode, and Hashira Training Arc-themed “Training Paths” mode, which lets you train under a Hashira and level up your character in various challenges. After finishing The Path of Demon Slayer and the story mode, Training Paths is the mode you’ll likely spend a lot of time in if you enjoy the combat and want to get all of the game’s rewards.
There’s so much to unlock in The Hinokami Chronicles 2, and a bulk of that can be unlocked in the story mode, Training Paths, and the Kimetsu Points Shop. You get Kimetsu Points by completing missions, earning high ranks, and collecting them in explorable areas, such as the Butterfly Mansion and the Swordsmith Village. With these points, you can buy costumes, playable characters, and other bonuses from the Kimetsu Points Shop. Though it’s worth noting that you can unlock a majority of the content in the shop by playing the game’s modes normally.
A Serviceable Switch Port
I played the Nintendo Switch version of The Hinokami Chronicles 2 via backwards compatibility on Nintendo Switch 2, and I think this is a great way to play the game. It’s clear that certain environmental textures were toned down in some areas, but the game looks and runs really well without dipping below its 30 FPS cap, which was also present in the first game on Switch. The visuals, character models, and cinematics hold up really well and don’t give off the impression that there were limitations on Switch.
Since I played The Hinokami Chronicles 2 far in advance, I wasn’t able to play online matches. Ranked Match, Group Match, and online rankings require a version update, which is likely going live with the early release of the Digital Deluxe Edition. However, from the looks of it, online matches are set up similarly to the Ultimate Ninja Storm games, which is what I expected. As a result, I expect this game to use delay-based netcode.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 Plays it Safe, But It’s Still a Great Time
As a Demon Slayer fan, I definitely enjoyed my time with Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2. It offers the same great voice acting and moments you’d expect from the anime, but in a more action-packed format that CyberConnect2 is known for delivering. By the same token, The Hinokami Chronicles 2 doesn’t push this particular genre forward. It’s more of the same from CyberConnect2-developed anime games, and it’s more Demon Slayer, and I think it does just enough to keep you hooked if you’re already invested in this series.
I will commend The Hinokami Chronicles 2 for the amount of content that is offered here, as this is the perfect recap for Infinity Castle, and the visuals are really great. I enjoyed reliving the Entertainment District and Swordsmith Village arcs, especially, and progressing through the Hashira Training Arc was also fun as it builds up that anticipation to eventually fighting Muzan Kibutsuji, who will be added in a free update at a later date. Although combat can be repetitive, as I previously stated, there’s still replay value here and a lot of fun to be had.
Disclaimer: SEGA provided a Nintendo Switch copy of Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 for review purposes.
