Easily one of the most eye-opening and stylish forms of animation available today, anime has long since secured itself in the hearts of eagle-eyed otaku and more recently gamers who have seen Japanese animation flourish in a wide variety of games.
With that in mind then, we’re going to take a look at five of the best anime PC games that you buy today. Strap in!
Attack on Titan 2 – A.O.T.2
An anime famed for its extremely fast and tremendously violent combat sequences in which steam powered warriors use grappling hooks and razor sharp swords to fell towering, human-munching titans, adapting Attack on Titan to PC was never going to be easy. And yet, despite that fact, developer Koei Tecmo has absolutely nailed it with Attack on Titan 2 – A.O.T.2. A third-person action effort with visual style to spare, everything from the deliriously, high-octane grappling hook and steam propelled traversal to the in-depth story that mirrors the anime it’s based on make Attack on Titan 2 – A.O.T.2 a must-have for fans of source material and hugely satisfying third-person action titles in general.
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk
Another ultra-violent anime given the PC adaptation treatment by the practised hands of those bods over at Koei Tecmo, Berserk And The Band of the Hawk takes the Musou formula pioneered by the Dynasty Warriors games and applies a grimly murderous veneer to the whole presentation. Want to carve a bloody swathe through hundreds, potentially thousands of evildoers with a sword that’s bigger than Brock Lesnar as you seek vengeance against an evil enemy that has brutally done you wrong? Then the myriad bloody delights of Berserk and the Band of the Hawk are absolutely for you.
Dragon Ball FighterZ
A frankly stunning adaptation of the Dragon Ball Z anime which has captivated millions the world over, Dragon Ball FighterZ comes from Arc System Works, the same immensely talented group of people behind the Blazblue and Guilty Gear games. A one-on-one fighter with tag-team style mechanics, Dragon Ball FighterZ includes all of the heroes and villains from the long running anime in addition to packing in a story campaign that dutifully riffs on all the key events of the show. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt at all that Dragon Ball FighterZ quite literally looks like an anime come to life, with some absolutely stunning cel-shaded character designs that do ample justice to the television series of the same name.
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM Trilogy
Another jaw-dropping adaptation of a famous anime, the Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy is a trio of brawlers that follow the main arcs of the Naruto Shippuden anime TV show. As a brave, but naive ninja looking to defend his home and friends, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy are value-stuffed adventures that thrust players into the heart of the anime narrative as the titular character, taking them on epic open-world adventures while engaging in devastatingly beautiful ninjitsu battles. With hundreds of hours of gameplay coupled with gorgeously rendered characters and backgrounds which look like they’ve been pulled straight from the anime, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Story Trilogy is absolutely worth your time and then some.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
Boasting art from famed anime house Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke), Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch certainly cuts something of an impressive profile on first impression. Look past its breathtakingly stylish veneer however and a truly epic odyssey starts to unfurl. As a young boy who must venture to a magical realm in order to save his mother, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch combines traditional JRPG style gameplay, exploration and even Pokémon style monster battling mechanics to create a true masterwork of a game that is as deep and heartfelt as it is retina-strikingly beautiful. Even better still, in its remastered form, Ni no Kuni’s already stunning visuals absolutely sing on PC, with greatly improved visuals and much smoother animation. In short, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered is as essential as it gets.
