Anime games and the video game space have an undeniable overlap that produces thrilling experiences. Whether it be traditional JRPGs or story-driven visual novels, both mediums offer unique experiences for their respective fans. That being said, there’s a growing, noticeable pattern in anime games that are growing stale — the Arena Fighter.
- Arena Fighter anime games have grown stale with multiple half-cooked titles.
- Titles like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Dragon Ball FigherZ, and One Piece Odyssey are great examples to expand upon for a different approach.
The Arena Fighter Fatigue
As someone who has seen every Jutsu thrown in the Naruto Storm series (except Storm Connection because that game isn’t even worth buying), I can say with certainty that while the Arena Fighter was interesting when it first appeared, these titles lack innovation.
Take Jump Force for example, a title meant to capture a time in Shonen Jump history, was poorly executed, and the most recent bomb, Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash, did nothing to further the idea of an arena fighter. It’s a shame that such vast potential is wasted on the same copy-paste format we’ve been seeing for the past few years.
The Potential Of Anime Games
On the flip side, there are anime games that show potential when it comes to delivering expectations. Titles like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and One Piece Odyssey stand out as unique titles to their respective franchises. Similarly, Dragon Ball FighterZ’s competitive depth showed that anime fighting games could be innovative, and even Demon Slayer: Hinokami Chronicles, while still an arena fighter at its heart, featured a compelling story mode that expanded upon the anime’s story.
With that being said, what if developers could tap into this space and show us the potential in games based on anime IPs with all types of characters and anime-inspired worlds? Imagine a My Hero Academia game where you can create your hero, go to U.A., and walk around a city filled with unique quests and battles (I swear I’m not talking about a Xenoverse clone).
With all the recent innovations and variations in the anime games space, this is where the opportunity lies. For example, maybe there is a One Piece game where you can sail the grand line, battle other pirates, and partake in epic ocean engagements (Assasins Creed Rogue anyone?). It isn’t a stretch to state that the anime game genre will greatly improve if developers execute an open-world mechanic, enhanced with RPG components, and take time to build a more gripping story.
Conclusion
Now, I’m not saying that Arena Fighters are out the door. They have a sweet spot in the hearts of many anime fans like myself. All I’m saying is that the anime games industry should broaden. The realm of anime in games has endless possibilities.
Through developers experimenting with a wider range of game types will be able to take advantage of anime as a vast universe. The games can be more enchanting than the series itself if developers expand into different genres and truly take from the vast depth of anime.
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