Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles
By David Chapman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Anime-based fighter is heavy in style but light on content.
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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles
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Based on 6 parent reviews
It follows the manga and TV show with it's levels of violence, but maybe not as detailed. If you like fighting type games with controller movements similar to SmashBros you may like this game.
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What’s It About?
Players will relive the beginning of the Demon Slayer saga and fight back against the darkness in DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA - THE HINOKAMI CHRONICLES. You'll follow Tanjiro Kamado in his journey as one of the newest members in the ancient order of the Demon Slayer Corps. Tanjiro's story begins after his family was slain in a demon attack. Somehow his younger sister Nezuko managed to survive the attack, but is transformed into a demon as a result. Now the siblings have to set out on a mission together to discover a cure for Nezuko's condition, while protecting the innocent from the growing demonic threat. In the game's Story mode, players will get join Tanjiro and Nezuko on their adventure and experience key moments from the popular anime series while unlocking new content along the way. You'll battle it out in arcade style arena combat featuring a roster of 18 characters, both friend and foe, complete with their own signature skills and ultimate attacks. You can choose an instructor and hone your combat skills in the Training mode, then test your mettle in 1v1 Versus mode against friends in local play or online against opponents from around the world. Do you have what it takes to move up the ranks and end the demonic curse once and for all?
Is It Any Good?
With its unique cast of characters, a rich "good versus evil" plotline, and epic fight scenes in almost every episode, this popular anime series was always primed for the video game treatment. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -- The Hinokami Chronicles takes key moments from the show's first season and movie, adapting them into a fast paced, over-the-top arena fighting game that does a phenomenal job of recreating the feel of the anime. Cutscenes and combat look like they've been lifted straight from the show, and as an added bonus, both the English and Japanese voice casts have been brought over to the game as well. Unfortunately, the exploration portions of the game that take place between the cutscenes and combat are barren and boring by comparison. Players just sort of go through the motions here, picking up a few items and talking to people to solve small side quests that unlock bits of extra content. This feels more like it's been tacked on to pad the gameplay, especially considering the drought of other overall content.
Fighting is the core focus of The Hinokami Chronicles, and it's something the game pulls off almost flawlessly. Newcomers and casual gamers can jump right into the action, thanks to easily accessible controls that don't require any sort of complicated or awkward button/joystick combinations. At the same time, more experienced fighters will appreciate some of the deeper layers of combat, such as perfectly timed parries and counterattacks, dash moves, and support mechanics. It's extremely well-balanced but suffers from an anemic roster. After working through the initial Story mode's prologue, only four characters are unlocked for use in Versus play. Players can unlock the rest of the eighteen characters by playing through the Story and extra side missions, or by buying them with credits earned by fighting matches, participating in Training, and completing other in-game challenges. This is a long and arduous process, especially for fans that just want to dive into Versus mode and duke it out with their friends.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in entertainment. Is the impact of the violence in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -- The Hinokami Chronicles affected by the amount of blood and gore shown in the title? What are some of the ways that violence is portrayed in the anime and manga markets? How is that violence carried over into video games based on these properties?
Do you prefer games that are played solo or against other players? When playing competitive games, is it more fun to play with friends in the same room, against strangers across the globe, or something in-between?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Windows , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Sega of America
- Release date: October 15, 2021
- Genre: Fighting
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Sports and Martial Arts , Adventures , Friendship , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- ESRB rating: T for Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Last updated: December 14, 2021
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