What makes a great anime game
We are steeped in computer animation games. From erotica featuring doe-eyed eyes on Steam to games based on actual TV shows like Dragon Ball FighterZ– and even games that seem to be animated, like Yakuza Sequential – There are many different ways to interpret the term.
So what makes a game “anime”, even if it doesn’t have the look of distinct Japanese cartoons? And most importantly, what do the best of these games have in common? Read on for a recipe containing all the key ingredients for a great animation game.
Transcend type
Animation games are more daring to play in the traditional genres. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the Final Fantasy series – even Final Fantasy games with a high imagination setting aren’t shy about throwing steampunk elements into the mix, like Final Fantasy 6. Games with a modern environment like Final Fantasy 15You, meanwhile, see nothing wrong with carrying giant sword-wielding characters on their way to the instant noodle truck.
Animation games love to take you to completely new worlds, and it is imperative that anything is possible within those worlds. It doesn’t even have to make much sense – you can simply say “This is animation logic for you” and move on.
Action-packed animation
Anime, especially action oriented anime, needs amazing animation. This does not necessarily mean making the animation smoother. What really matters is making it memorable through influences or exaggerated situations. The animation games are inspired by a 2D medium, and are famous for their expressions.
Fighting Games developed and published by Arc System Works such as BlazBlue: Cross Tag BattleAll this makes clear that it is not enough for an animation game to have 2D characters, you need to translate their kinetic energy. The activities should have a strong, visible impact, as in the descent after a high jump. Magic discharges with flashes of bright color and speed lines create a sense of movement, and the whole character seems to distort their limbs when making a violent attack. Basically, the good animation games seem incredibly alive.
All feelings
Why he does YakuzaA group of games in which a rock appears to a man as the protagonist, does it feel like an anime game? For Western players, we might feel this way in part because we’re exploring Japanese sites that many of us encountered for the first time in animation. But Yakuza has a few things in common with both animation and other Japanese media – aside from his endless love for food, it’s also just a very emotional game.
In Japanese society, disclosing your true feelings out loud is still largely frowned upon, so part of enjoying fictional stories is the character’s ability to be forthright, and often dramatic. That’s why characters will shout their intentions from rooftops. Whether the phrase “I will never give up!” Or “I’ll die without you!” – These are the things that are almost exciting to hear, just because it is a bit embarrassing to say them with the zeal of a cartoon character in life.
A teenager’s dream
A lot of anime stories, especially in games, are centered around high school students – both the Persona series and Trails of Cold Steel allow you to explore your character’s daily routine in and out of the classroom. Perhaps this is because of a romantic attachment to the idea of youth. This is when friendships are forming, when you can begin your first romantic relationship, and you can (allegedly) choose to ignore many of the societal demands.
Even when an anime game isn’t explicitly set in a school, many of its characters will be very young when they take on their first adventure – the hero in Dragon Quest 11For example, he has reached the age of majority when his adventure begins, leaving plenty of room for personal growth during his journey.
The muezzin’s delight
This isn’t limited to animation games, because every game designer wants their characters to be memorable, but animation games take character design to a higher level, just like everything else I’ve described on this list so far. Anime game characters should have spiky hair of sinister colors, with identical eyes and eyebrows. They must be physically incapable of walking under the weight of their cool clothes. You only need to think of the nearly 5,000 Square Enix-turned-game manager Tetsuya Nomura loves to decorate his designs with.
Even in a year without conventions, there was something wonderful Jinshin effect Cosplay, people enjoy costumes for Devil May Cry 5, and then there are hundreds of variations of design that seem “simple” like Nier’s design: Automata’s 2B and 9S, where it shows that people will not stop at anything to be just a little character anime and feel badass carrying weapons Giant. Good for them.
Friendship is above all
The best anime games see their protagonists becoming friends, specifically the kind of friends who might risk too much for each other. They too, and maybe even more importantly, they still think there’s something good out there. In Ni no Kuni 2, young king Ivan wants nothing more than building a kingdom in which people can live in peace, and despite being the king, he goes out to carry out missions for his own countrymen and find common ground with leaders of other nations. In most animation games, the ultimate goal is peace, which is as simple as it is encouraging.
Lasting thoughts
Good animation games have staying power. Both Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have been around for over thirty years, and to get the Atelier games in order, you’ll likely need a blueprint now. However, this doesn’t have to be daunting, because instead of telling one connected story, or even using one setting, these franchises go on with certain core elements and themes, sometimes even characters.
In the Secret of Mana series, each story will showcase the magical essence of all life. Dragon Quest may or may not contain dragons, but it will contain slime. The Y Games have Adol in common, but not by much. This series has found something unique that works with the stories they want to tell and makes them distinguishable, but new players can jump in whenever they want.
Some metaphors are okay
Anime games are often full of well-thought-out metaphors, but not all of them are bad. Some of the less favorable games, like the continuous fan service, which is all about showing anime girls skin as much as a creator can get away with, cast a deep shadow over animation games in general, but some can be a lot of fun. Take tsundere, for example. The tsundere character is someone who gets hot and cold, trying to pretend he doesn’t care until he does. Vesperia protagonist Yuri is one such character. Then there are magical abilities that only appear when the character is in tatters. Attorney Ace It even goes so far as to copy the entire format of an anime TV show, which often begins with a hint of the lurking evil heroes they will encounter.
Big names help
The visual identity of the games often fascinates us, and licensed games can be fun, but there is something special about a famous artist creating game characters. When Akira Toriyama was contacted for Dragon Quest artwork, he was already incredibly popular for his work on Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump. Ni no kuni: the wrath of the white witch It was incredibly expected for Level-5 developer collaboration with Studio Ghibli’s animators. Nobuteru Yuki, the designer of characters in such famous cartoon Lodos War Log And The Vision of Escaflowne has worked on games like Chrono Cross and Trials of Mana. Famous artists are elevating animation games – in Akira Toriyama’s case, Dragon Quest is even more bizarre for its brutal design strength. Expectations are higher, but when they match, we get something special.