Attack on Titan, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series are proof that anime video games are a good idea. Grueling adventures, bare-knuckle brawls, and fierce rivalries translate naturally across the two media, especially when developers work in tandem with a show’s creators to bring their title to life. With One Punch Man and Kill la Kill both receiving video game adaptations soon, the following are a few anime that deserve great games next.
Anime Video Games We NEED To See | Goblin Slayer
Goblin Slayer‘s world is best described as unforgiving. The anime sees the titular hero and his adventuring party take on a series of quests in order to eradicate every goblin on the planet.
A video game adaptation could fall in line with this simple premise but allow players to alternate between the protagonist, the priestess, the high elf archer, the dwarf shaman, and the lizard priest. Enchanted items, spells, Goblin Slayer’s innovative traps, and the ability to counter opponents should be included too. Given the devastation that these monsters have caused, using a goblin’s weapon against it could be immensely satisfying. The party’s reliance on low ranking equipment may make the game difficult, but that falls in line with the Slayer’s penchant for brutality.
Anime Video Games We NEED To See | Blood Blockade Battlefront
Blood Blockade Battlefront sees protagonist Leonardo Watch join the ranks of a crime fighting organization called Libra after a portal to another dimension opens up in the middle of New York City. Now dubbed Hellsalem’s Lot, the metropolis is home to all sorts of creatures from the “Beyond.”
The show is practically begging to be recreated as an open-world video game, as players could interact with the universe’s beings while on their way to another mission or running errands on Leo’s scooter. Fans could use the main character’s All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods to spot weak points, then switch to powerful allies like Klaus or Zapp to take down foes up close. A Blood Blockade Battlefront game could be smart, interesting, and fun if developed by the right studio.
Anime Video Games We NEED To See | Mob Psycho 100
Now that One Punch Man is getting its own video game, it’s time for ONE’s other popular anime, Mob Psycho 100, to receive the same treatment. Similarly to Saitama, protagonist Mob looks like an innocent civilian on the surface. In reality he possesses a range of powerful psychic abilities that can destroy everything in sight if he isn’t careful.
A Mob Psycho 100 game should play like a mainline Persona entry, tasking fans with improving Mob’s relationship with his classmates while also maintaining his job as an assistant to a con man. Rival espers from the Claw gang should appear for thrilling real-time fight sequences filled with psychedelic explosions. A proper Mob Psycho 100 video game could help the franchise finally come out from One Punch Man‘s shadow.
Anime Video Games We NEED To See | Knights of Sidonia
Does anyone else miss Zone of the Enders? A Knights of Sidonia game should fill in the gap, allowing players to create their own Garde pilot in order to defend Sidonia from a shape-shifting alien menace called the Gauna. Fans can upgrade their mecha with cannons, firearms, and Kabizashi spears as humanity experiments with material capable of tearing through a Gauna’s core.
Little by little, the narrative should reveal why the Gauna attacked Earth a thousand years ago and the race’s motivation to wipe out what remains of human life in space. A video game tie-in makes sense given how another season of the show is currently planned by Polygon Pictures. It should serve as a recap just in time for the anime’s return.
Anime Video Games We NEED To See | Re: Creators
Re: Creators sees characters from anime, manga, and video games collide after a mysterious girl known as the Military Uniform Princess transports them to the real world. A video game adaptation should play a lot like BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and maintain each character’s signature abilities in battle. Selesia should wield a sword, fly across a stage, and summon her mecha Vogelchevalier as a special. Mamika should be able to fire magical heart-shaped projectiles and Blitz should be able to use his Gravity Bombs. Of course, a story mode featuring Sota and Setsuna should be included to tie each skirmish together, culminating in a grueling fight with the spiteful sorceress who wishes to put an end to everyone’s reality.
Anime Video Games We NEED To See | Parasyte
Parasyte‘s influence can be found in such titles as Prototype and Resident Evil 4, but the series hasn’t received a video game adaptation of its own yet. The title should play similarly to an episodic Telltale adventure, tasking players with making choices on who to save. Parasytes like Reiko Tamura and Gotou should appear to give Shinichi and Migi trouble along the way, and intimate relationships with Satomi and Uda should carry over. Parasyte is ultimately a story about humanity’s capacity to be both civilized and animalistic. A game should make this clear by juxtaposing the franchise’s gory imagery with Shinichi’s morality.
If Google Trends serves any indication, anime’s popularity has grown significantly in recent years. Widespread acceptance of the medium could encourage developers in the West to adapt some of their favorite shows in the future. Imagine what a Goblin Slayer game could be in the hands of Bethesda, or what a Knights of Sidonia game could be if BioWare makes it. There’s potential for anime to garner even more attention outside Japan so long as show creators are willing to give foreign developers a shot.
