TheDemon Slayer: The Hinokami Chroniclesgame is a highly praised adaptation of the anime due to the featured cinematic combat styles and the familiar story that fans already know and love. Even thoughDemon Slayer: The Hinokami Chroniclesis still a relatively young game, there’s still more to explore in the universe of theDemon Slayeranime with future video game adaptations. In order to tap into some of the unused potentials ofDemon Slayeradaptations, the key may be lying in features found in recent zombie games.
Demons from the demon slayer anime are arguably comparable to zombies in most regards, especially in video game media. While Demons are more known as taboo monsters and zombies are often considered mindless creatures, the differences between these combatants can easily blur together in the heat of combat. At any rate, future Demon Slayer games playing into what makes zombie games so immersive could take the anime to the next level.
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Combat in Future Demon Slayer Games Shouldn’t Miss Out on Dismemberment
WhileDemon Slayer: The Hinokami Chroniclesgame did well to reimagine the famous combat techniques and styles from the anime, the combat in the game falls into the same trappings of most fighting games. The combat inDemon Slayer: The Hinokami Chroniclesessentially boils down to a battle of attrition, but some additional layers could be revolutionary to this tried-and-true combat format. One such feature that would fit perfectly in theDemon Slayeruniverse is the complexdismemberment system fromDead Island 2.
Dead Island 2’s F.L.E.S.H. dismemberment, or “Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids” takes into consideration what kind of weapons that players use, as well as where they strike their enemies. In short, players can target specific limbs with particular weaponry to sever the limbs ofunique zombies inDead Island 2. While Demon Slayers and Hashira traditionally use swords and similar bladed weaponry, the attention to detail of where an attack lands is something that future Demon Slayer games should learn from.
In theDemon Slayeruniverse, beheading a Demon is one of the most reliable ways to slay these monsters aside from exposing them to sunlight, with a few special exceptions forthe upper-Rank Demons. In the anime, dismembering the limbs of a Demon mid-combat is extremely common and almost inevitable leading up to the fatal blow. What makes dismemberment such a prominent feature inDemon Slayeris that Demons can expend their energy to regenerate lost limbs, and in some cases, fully repair themselves. When it comes to aDemon Slayervideo game adaptation, skipping out on a dismemberment system is a missed opportunity.
Future Demon Slayer Games Should Separate Days and Nights
Another shortcoming ofDemon Slayer: The Hinokami Chroniclesis that the noncombat encounters left much to be desired. The story is a faithful adaptation that follows the anime with some amazing performances and memorable scenes, though the linear exploration in-between is a bit awkward and minimalist. As far as what futureDemon Slayervideo games could do to avoid this blunder, one potential solution is to learn from a central feature of open-world zombie games, likeDying Light 2.
One thing that both theDying Lightgames have set a new standard for is a meaningful day/night cycle. WhileDying Light 2’s day/night cyclemay seem arbitrary in regard to zombies, it’s a lot more justifiable in theDemon Slayeruniverse. Demons are known to be fatally vulnerable to sunlight, so separating day from night would be interesting to experience in aDemon Slayervideo game.
Further, separating the combat from the exploration could be a perfect chance for players to fully immerse themselves in theDemon Slayeruniverse between preparing for epic overnight battles. There are a lot of interesting features and characters in theDemon Slayeranime mythologybeyond the phenomenal combat, so giving payers ample opportunity to explore and develop relationships could be a worthwhile investment.
