Anime and video games have always lived a rather happy marriage, driven on a commercial level also by the production of several tie-ins related to the most famous Japanese anime in the world (Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece), capable of collecting an incredible success: between one generation and another, similar titles have served to increase hunger for this type of video game, with audiences taking on increasingly diverse tastes. In fact, among the video games taken from anime, a lot of worthy productions have hidden several times, with excellent ideas on a playful level and a charm beyond the parameters from a visual point of view. We, as you may have guessed, want to avoid recommending a trivial list of tie-ins: in this guide, therefore, we have decided to broaden the field to all those that are the best anime-style video games, that is, with an aesthetic that goes back to Japanese animation.
We have chosen, in other words, to put the quality of the video games examined before the "name" of the reference series, if any, without giving up (as you will see) a few more than discreet tie-ins. In order to offer you greater immediacy and accessibility in your choices, the list we have compiled only includes video games released in recent years and which are available on the most used platforms: in some cases, these are video games belonging to already well-known series, which is You can follow them back to their videogame origins. Even the genres, as you can see for yourself, are differentiated as much as possible: continuing to read, therefore, you will find fighting games, action games, JRPGs, strategic and even puzzle games and visual novels. Before starting, we remind you that on our pages you will already find a guide linked to the best JRPGs, one to the best Western RPGs and one to the best metroidvania.
Best anime video games
Dragon Ball FighterZ 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Persona 5 Royal Naruto Shippuden UNS 4: Road To Boruto - Complete Edition One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 Fire Emblem: Three Houses Ni No Kuni: Threat of the Ashen Witch Catherine: Full Body Dragon Quest XI S Astral Chain
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch Dragon Ball FighterZ represented a major turning point for the series of tie-in linked to the famous manga by Akira Toriyama, until that moment of the "simple" action games. The expert hand of Arc System Works has made it possible to create one of the best and most technical fighting games of recent years, with a deep, complex and satisfying gameplay. Nonetheless, FighterZ remains a video game suitable both for lovers of competitive fighting games, and for simple fans eager to try something new. The artistic style of the Japanese mangaka, combined with the unmistakable two-dimensional graphics of Arc System, has among other things made it possible to create an aesthetically extraordinary video game, in which the visual sector represents the icing on the cake of an experience that you will not forget so much. soon, and to which, from time to time, you will always tend to come back, especially if you have managed to get passionate.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
Platform: PlayStation 4 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is the latest video game from Vanillaware, the developers (among others) of Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown: a Japanese studio with a unique mastery in creating graphics and two-dimensional worlds , and, in general, create video games characterized by an amazing artistic direction. The game is based on the fight against an alien invasion, fought through giant mecha commanded by a group of young boys, and has a story that plays a lot on time travel: the story is the strong point of the game, from the moment that the adventure's visual novel structure allows the narrative to almost always remain center stage. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim also has a strategy video game component, albeit relatively little pronounced, which makes it more suitable for those who mainly want to get involved with the stories.
Persona 5 Royal
Platform: PlayStation 4 Persona 5 Royal is the definitive and enriched version of Atlus' award-winning JRPG, released four years after the original , compared to which it stands out for the addition of different characters and content in the plot, including additional scenes, also very important in the story, and some gameplay dynamics. The adventure, in the shoes of the members of the Guild of Thieves, allows you to experience an unforgettable story, one of the best ever seen in a JRPG, not to mention the visual sector and the perfect reconstruction of a lively and pulsating Tokyo. like never before. The "sim game" aspect, which then allows you to manage the protagonist's life, deciding in fact how to "fill" his days between various activities, is the cornerstone of the Persona series, what makes it different from many others of its kind and that could allow you to fall in love with the Atlus videogame at any time.
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4: Road To Boruto Complete Edition
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch In these lines we are still talking about anime video games, and to recommend some tie-in was a must: one of our choices could only fall on Naruto, who has been in the world of video games for several years now and has taken a more than consolidated position, thanks to CyberConnect and Bandai Namco. Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4: Road To Boruto Complete Edition is the very long name of the definitive edition of the last chapter of the series, which includes both the base game and the expansion dedicated to Naruto's son, Boruto Uzumaki, and the new manga based on the original work of Masashi Kishimoto. Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is a real guarantee if you love manga-based tie-in action and if you know the comic series: the game acts as a "bridge" between the two manga, covering the last narrative arc of Naruto Shippuden and telling a good part of Boruto's initial events.
One Piece Pirate Warriors 4
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch The third and last direct tie-in that we recommend is One Piece Pirate Warriors 4, that is, without too many words, the best that at the moment the fans of One Piece (famously a bit unfortunate when it comes to video games) can afford to play. Ok, it won't be the best video game on this list, but at least Pirate Warriors 4 manages to do justice to the universe of reference, at least from the aesthetic point of view and that of the blows, which the title certainly does not miss, and in large quantities! In the game, the fourth installment of the Bandai Namco action series, you will be able to relive a part of the original work of Eiichiro Oda, impersonating Monkey D. Luffy and fighting against several of the most iconic villains that the Straw Hat Pirates crew is in. face over the many story arcs of the manga.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Platform: Nintendo Switch Fire Emblem: Three Houses is one of the best exclusives of Nintendo Switch, as well as one of the most complete strategic video games of recent years. Intelligent Systems, one of Nintendo's most talented software houses, has been running the series for decades now, and has perfected the formula chapter by chapter. Three Houses is a real epic that blends Japanese culture and medieval epic, and offers a proven gameplay and an enviable longevity: the player, in fact, can choose between three different campaigns, linked to the three houses in the game, each of a longer duration. at 50-60 hours. The plot is deep and exciting, while the characters are very well characterized: over time you will learn to become attached to each of them, and you will desperately try not to lose them in battle (the game offers an optional permanent death function), also to avoid to lose a considerable portion of your firepower.
Ni No Kuni: Threat of the White Witch
Platform : PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch Ni No Kuni: The Threat of the White Witch is the first result of the collaboration between Level 5 and Studio Ghibli, which arrived many years ago on PlayStation 3 and recently re-proposed, also in a remastered version , on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch (the latter runs the original version). It is an RPG characterized by a superlative aesthetic, with clear references to the films of Hayao Miyazaki, something made possible thanks to the presence of the drawings of the animation studio directed by the legendary Japanese director. Also thanks to its updated version in recent years, it is much easier for us to recommend the first Ni No Kuni than the second, Revenant Kingdom, since the latter - although not a bad game at all, on the contrary! - is a step below the predecessor. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you play that first!
Catherine: Full Body
Platform: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch With Catherine: Full Body, Atlus has done a job similar to that of Persona 5 Royal, re-proposing another video game highly appreciated by a circle of passionate fans in an enriched and in-depth version. Catherine: Full Body tells the story of the penniless Vincent, over thirty struggling with a sentimental dilemma and continually divided between his girlfriend Katherine and the mysterious Catherine; in this context, the game introduces a new character, namely Rin, who acts as a bit of a "balance needle". Catherine: Full Body is a video game with two souls: in addition to presenting itself a bit like a visual novel in its animated scenes, it is also a challenging puzzle game, conceptually very similar to the famous Qbert, in which the protagonist must move cubes to reach the top of each level and be able to move forward, collecting in the meantime different power-ups and useful items.
Dragon Quest XI S
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch Dragon Quest XI S is the definitive version of the latest exponent of Square Enix's traditional Japanese RPG series, of which he represents without any doubt one of the most successful chapters. The story sees the hero of the moment, called Lucente, committed to reaching and "saving" Yggdrasil, the tree of the world (a name which is a clear reference to Norse mythology), recruiting various companions along his path. Released first on Nintendo Switch and then on PC and other consoles, Dragon Quest XI S offers several additions to the original and a huge list of improvements to the quality of life in the game, making it undoubtedly the best version of Dragon Quest XI. But what is the "stylistic" link with Japanese animation due to? Quite simply (and this clearly emerges in the drawings) to the fact that the artistic "father" of Dragon Quest is Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, historical character designer of the series.
Astral Chain
Platform: Nintendo Switch Astral Chain is the result of the renewed marriage between Nintendo and Platinum Games, started with MadWorld in 2009: entrusted to designer of Nier Automata, Takahisa Taura (in his first role as game director), the game is an action set in an aesthetically beautiful sci-fi world, which combines Japanese sci-fi (Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira ) and the western brand (Blade Runner). In the game, you control a member of the Neurons, a task force called to restore order following a mysterious invasion of monsters from a parallel dimension. The combat system, in full Platinum style, is one of the most refined aspects, and is unique in its kind: our hero fights together with his Legion, which, in the sections played, acts as a separate entity from its owner, controllable via one of the two analog sticks. In short, Astral Chain could rightly be called one of the first (if not the first) twin-stick action ever.
