Night Watch Analysis

Kimetsu no Yaiba – the Hinokami Chronicles successfully recreates the anime’s first season

In the 1990s, the childhood of boys and girls was marked by some of the most successful works of recent times. These generate a certain nostalgia when we remember them today, but some like Dragon Ball Z, Digimon you A play… Are still in publication or in circulation today.

Like these children in their time vibrated with Dragon Ball, the current generations have found their reflection in more recent works. Some of them might just be Kimetsu no Yaiba, a creation of Koyoharu Gotoyouto give which has revolutionized the recent industry of manga and anime with a very addictive story.

And as is normal, when a license of this caliber transcends the world so much, it doesn’t take long to adapt to the different formats. Therefore, we receive Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Chronicles of Hinokami, a video game based on the work of Gotouge which comes to make us relive the events of the first season of the anime until the arc of Kimetsu no Yiaba: Mugen Ressha-hen recently adapted for cinema and series.

This adaptation was the work of CyberConnect 2, a Japanese studio with a lot of experience with this type of license. In fact, to his credit is one of the best adaptations of anime to the video game, as well as his most recognized work to date, the saga. Naruto Sippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm. The latter served as a starting point for the development of this Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Chronicles of Hinokami, because its approach, design and gameplay drink a lot of what has been seen in Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4.

In this way, The Chronicles of Hinokami presents us with a campaign with a large number of cutscenes that perfectly recreate each iconic moment of the series in great detail. These in turn are interspersed with real and interactive fights, as well as small exploration phases to convey the more narrative part.

The campaign lasts about 8 or 9 hours, which lends itself to be replayed to get all the extra content. She knows how to handle all the strong moments of history, because she is able to convey epic moments to perfection. However, CyberConnect 2 wasn’t so wise this time around with the mix of cinematics and combat, because the countryside lacks rhythm and some details that can make those who are not adept at the work of Gotouge they feel a little lost. Therefore, the product is a good way to walk through or remember the events up to the Infinity Train, and perhaps not enough experience for all those people returning to this universe.

We have already commented that story mode could be better structured at the narrative level, although the truth is that it hides a few extras that give an interesting depth to the whole. These are some fragments of the past of the most significant characters in the work, which will give us details on each of them to get to know them better. In addition, throughout the adventure we will find points called Kimetsu that we can redeem for new rewards such as new appearances for our protagonists.

The story mode is not the only one that has the title, because apart from that there is a mode of multiplayer combat very similar to what we see in Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, a offline mode to compete with friends or even withBetween the processor itself, and a training mode to practice our techniques.

As you can see in the game modes we have mentioned, the most attractive content is campaign mode and other than that, little content is provided beyond the fights. Therefore, the fact that it is not completely round leaves us with a somewhat bittersweet flavor. It is true that it achieves some brilliant moments when its crisp graphics section pops up and everything comes together like silk, but the truth is that the intercalation of the explorable areas with the animated scenes or the combat becomes the most tedious. .

To all this we must add that the gameplay is not as deep as we would like. That is, the combination of attacks is quite limited, and even the final boss battles are a simple orchestrated pattern to be followed with very specific guidelines, leaving player involvement in the background.

Regarding the bosses, it must be said that these fights are a bit boring. These are not at all difficult and are usually solved with a cutscene in which Plaque seeks to hit the lethal surge after a Quick event. I would have liked these fights to have been planned as more dynamic, varied and appetizing fights in which the combat was more spectacular. Without a doubt, this is a lost golden opportunity which could have been added to the whole and which would have left a better taste in the mouth.

Despite everything, as a big fan of Guardians of the Night I enjoyed what Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles has to offer. And it is precisely for this reason, because I know the work and I know for good what I am going to find. However, those who return may not see the charm of the work and see it with the same eyes, because remembering the Butterfly Mansion, seeing Zenitsu and Inosuke arguing, Tanjiro suffers for his sister or even seeing Rengoku dancing like nothing. … these are sensations that those outside of this job will not experience in the same way. Still, of course, these people will also be able to enjoy a good, accessible and fun fighting game.

On the other hand, since we mentioned some characters in the previous paragraph, comment that in total there are 18 controllers. This amount might be a bit short, especially since the playable differences between them are rather rare. In this sense, all fighters exhibit a similar style of handling: normal chaining strikes, performing special attacks by tilting the directional lever, grabs, blocks, assisting an ally in combat, fast movement, and final attack. Again, it’s a shame that the opportunity was not used to make the most of this aspect of the game, like in others we’ve talked about before, as this would have allowed for more variety in the fights. .

EAs for the graphics, let’s say CyberConnect 2 continues to deliver sensational quality. The style of cel shading that they use is unique and very particular, because the finish they get is very similar to the one made Ufotable in the animated adaptation. This way the characters feature impeccable modeling, animations, and facial expressions, which really makes us feel like we’re watching the show. Likewise, the scenarios are recreated very well with a lot of detail, although we might have liked a little more interaction with them … However, in general the work is impeccable.

Finally, the sound part has been treated with the greatest care. This one cherishes the soundtrack of the series, which is already an exquisite attraction. However, this one is used in a masterful way, as they were very good at implementing it in every scene depending on the material it is based on. As for dubbing, as usual, we find the option of Japanese or English, while in translation we have a very good Castilian location.

Conclusion

Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Chronicles of Hinokami it turned out to be a good adaptation of the original work. CyberConnect 2 He has the gift and the dexterity to adapt Japanese animation works to video games, even if perhaps this time they have sinned a little for lack of ambition. The product is perfectly compliant, but does not reach a good pace in its campaign mode; its main attraction. It also doesn’t have a lot of playable depth or a wide range of characters, but it’s a great way to remember all of the events that happened up until the Infinity Train. Therefore, having carefully analyzed what it offers, this is a product that I would recommend to all lovers of the work, but perhaps not so much to those who are unfamiliar with it.