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2024 went by in the blink of an eye, and we hardly had time to reflect on everything that happened. That’s why, once a year, we take a look back at various aspects. As you’ve read in the title, this time, it’s all about anime games of 2024. We’re only counting the ones based on existing anime, so games with an anime-inspired look or aesthetic are not included. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash

Welp, this year started out with a dissapointment. But I souldn’t blame the game too much since it’s intentionally like this and we expected it to get the Naruto Storm treatment. It’s built for 2v2 team multiplayer games. The story mode just doesn’t fit this format (I know just enough to tell). The game has gotten numerous updates and DLCs to keep things fresh. Once you get used to it, the game can get fun with friends for a while.

Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town

Here’s a completely unexpected yet warmly welcomed game of Crayon Shin chan. It’s a legendary series that many of us have grown up with. And the game released this year is amazing. It has a cozy, comfortable, and nostalgic vibe and gives off the feeling when we visit out countryside with the weird quirkiness that Shin chan is known for. The gameplay is pretty fun and has some nice mini games, the art is beautiful and relaxing. This is the type of game I could play anytime, anywhere.

SAND LAND

Coming from the late creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, is Sand Land. The game was released following the anime and has the same story as the anime too. But it’s a lot of expended for gameplay purposes and it fits the tone. The gameplay is fun for the most part but kinda repetitive. The exploration aspect could have some more to it and the world almost feels empty (well duh, it’s Sand Land, a wold set in desert). Nevertheless, it’s worth checking out.

Solo Leveling Arise

After the advent of the anime, Solo Leveling reached a new height of popularity which calls for a video game. The game is amazing on the surface. It neils the style, aesthetic, and animation. It shows the webtoons panels as story bits, which is really dope for those who haven’t read or seen the webtoon. It even makes you choose at the beginning just like in the anime and the UI has the same look as the original.

The issue is that the game literally plays by itself. You go to a certain point with no challenge what so ever, beat some monsters, and trigger a cutscene. It gets boring too soon with no exploration aspect to offer. Unless you’re a fan of the genre, I can’t guarantee you’ll enjoy this game.

NINJA KAMUI SHINOBI ORIGINS

Another unexpected entry this year following the anime’s release. The anime was kinda meh but can’t say the same about the game. The game follows a different protagonist in a different story. It’s a beat-em-up game with hack-n-slash and a little platforming. It has some weird sagment where the game shifts into first-person-shooter which is inspired from an old arcade game (I know I played it; I just can’t remember the name). What’s lacking is the difficulty. So it’s a game for the casuals.

SPY×ANYA Operation Memories

Speaking of casual, we have SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories where you do everyday tasks of Anya. There’s nothing more to it other than just enjoying some wholesome cuteness and so whatever objective shows up on the sceen. Moving on.

FAIRY TAIL DUNGEONS

Who knew an indie game would be so much better. It takes the existing characters and puts them in a roguelike setup with likable pixelated artstyle. It’s a game of minds and strategy rather than the typical brain-dead button-mashing. One single mistake will put you back at the beginning of the level. It’s a game definitely worth trying even if you’re not a fan of the genre or Fairy Tail.

Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story

Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story is an interesting game with aspects of dinner dash, city building, resource management, exploration, and crafting. It intricately blends different game modes and lets you design your own shop. There’s a lot of smaller and significant details to delve into. The game is casual but never gets boring, there’s always something to do in this game. And having a mobile version is just too good to be true.

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream

The best SWORD ART ONLINE game they say it is. It even brings different elements from the other games, including the best game, Fatal Bullet, and executes better. The game has much to explore, customize, and multiple story routes so there’s a replayability which allows the player to try out different builds. The issue is what we commonly see, which is repetitive gameplay. The whole game plays the same way: go to a certain point and beat up a bunch of enemies. Then there’s the gacha element for some reason. Although the boss fights are decent and somewhat unique.

FAIRY TAIL 2

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, Fairy Tail is better off as a game than a TV show. The second RPG game in the series does things better than the first game as it explores the story in more surreal way. The gameplay is fun with some difficulty and technical turn-based combat. There are still some room for improvements, as a few things feel off such as improving the combat mechanics and most importantly the exploration part. The game is still enjoyable for what it is.

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero

Here we are, the most anticipated game of all time, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. This game is too good for an anime game. It brings back the nostalgic feeling of old Budokai Tenkaichi series. The gameplay is similar yet refined to the max. The graphics is faithful to the manga artstyle. The dialogue and special interactions are homages to the source metarial. The online multiplayer is smooth. It even brought back splitscreen mode like the good old days. This is the game that brought fans and nonfans from all around the world together.

Aside from all the praises, the game do have some downsides. The cutscenes in the story is less exciting to say the least. it’s just stills panning around. The online has gotten pretty toxic with exploits and cheesy mechanics. But they fixed most of it with the recent patch. The cutscenes are bearones but there are moments that has the animation it deserved like the iconic moments of turning super saiyans for the first time.

Another great aspect is the what-if. The game lets you choose different route in the cacon story which offers interesting scenerios and flashes out the fan fiction. The game also lets you create your own what-ifs with custom mode where you can create scenerios, dialogues, and share it online like Mario Maker. This is the dream Dragon Ball game we deserve and we got it.

DEATH NOTE Killer Within

Finally, we’ve got DEATH NOTE Killer Within, an Among Us clone. It’s unexpected to get a Death Note game out of nowhere but it’s appreciated. And it got the praises it deserves. The game is a much better version of Among Us with intricate mechanics and elements. The artstyle and design is an homage to an element from the manga that fans will instantly recognize.

On one side, you have Kira and the follower, who have to find out everyone’s ID and kill them. On the other side, you have L and investigators, who have to find out who Kira is by going around, investigating different areas, and interrogating bystanders. Then, there’s a meeting after each round to vote out the culprit and you don’t imidiately elinimate someone by voting; they get arrested & their movements get limited but their ID gets leaked for the Kira to pick on. There’s equal amound of risks and rewards to everything. The game is pretty chaotic but really fun; one of the best anime games of 2024.

After Thought

2024 has been a wild ride as we’ve seen many different types of games. I’m glad to see anime games aren’t falling any behind in terms of quality and content. There are many games are set to come out in the future and we look forward to it.

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