Tokyo Game Show 2024 was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan from September 26th to the 29th, opening its doors to gamers, publishers, and press worldwide seeking the latest and greatest in the video game industry. Anime Corner was honored to attend this year as press, so we got our hands on as many game demos as we could. Here are a few of the games we played and loved that we feel anime fans will enjoy too. Games are listed in the order that they were played.
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO
Bandai Namco’s biggest hitter of Tokyo Game Show was the newest DRAGON BALL fighting game titled DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO. Fans of the decades-old franchise lined up to play the fifteen-minute demo, hoping to get just a taste of what the final game will have to offer when it releases in just a few more days on October 11th.
While I’m not the biggest DRAGON BALL fan, I have fond memories of playing DRAGON BALL Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 many years ago (on the Nintendo Wii of all platforms). Even back then, I was impressed by the cell-shaded style graphics that made it look like you were watching an episode of the anime. Sparking! ZERO is unsurprisingly even more impressive graphically, but one of my favorite aspects of the demo’s gameplay was how the stage’s environment responded to my battles. I picked my favorite character, Future Trunks, as well as Android 18 and Kid Trunks to build my team, and fought in the air, on the ground, and even in the deep waters. With explosive animations, anime-like graphics, and a roster boasting over 150 characters, even the casual DRAGON BALL fans will want to experience Sparking! ZERO.
Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream
Even as a big fan of the Sword Art Online anime franchise, the games have unfortunately been mediocre for me. I stood in line with dozens of other gamers at the Bandai Namco booth waiting with leveled anticipation to play Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream. I didn’t know anything about the game before lining up to demo it, and I was surprised to find out that Fractured Daydream is an online multiplayer co-op game.
In a team of twenty players, I chose one of my favorite SAO characters, Lizbeth, a fighter who can also buff and heal the team. I battled a giant enemy side-by-side with 19 other players in an experience that reminded me a bit of the Monster Hunter franchise. If I died, a teammate was there to revive me, and I was able to use buffs to help out my team as I hacked and slashed at the enemy monster. The game feels clean with its animations, smoothness of gameplay, and online connection. It was easy to get a hang of the controls after a few minutes, and I had a surprisingly fun time with the demo. Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream fully releases on October 4th, but you can play the game now with the deluxe edition.
Tomba! Special Edition
Tomba!, originally released in 1997 for the original PlayStation, had a special edition demo booth with Happinet Corporation at Tokyo Game Show this year. The game has been described as a side-scrolling Metroidvania, but the most appealing aspect to me was its 90s art style. I was able to immediately get my hands on a controller to demo the game without waiting in line and had a fun 10 minutes with it.
Playing Tomba!, while a bit “jank” at times, felt nostalgic – as if I was playing a forgotten gem. I feel that fans of 90s 2D platformers such as Donkey Kong Country or Klonoa would also enjoy Tomba!. Despite the mixed reception of the original game, Tomba! has a sequel called Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return, and multiple re-releases. You can now play the special edition version of the game on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a sequel to Phantom Brave which was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004. I was honored to play The Lost Hero demo in the Nippon Ichi Software suite along with NIS America staff and Kento Jobana, the game’s scenario writer. You can read our interview with Jobana-san as well.
As a huge fan of tactical JRPGs, I had a ton of fun playing this demo and admiring the countless ways to strategize and use your units. Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero uses a free-movement system to keep gameplay open and endless in strategic possibilities. The character designs are adorable and unique, and most of the game is voiced by talented actors for both the Japanese and English versions. The sequel is slated for January 30th, 2025 in NA/EU, and Kento Jobana specified to us that even newcomers to the series are welcome to easily jump into Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, despite being the second installment.
HUNTER×HUNTER NEN×IMPACT
Despite HUNTER×HUNTER‘s massive and worldwide popularity, we don’t often see video game adaptations of the series compared to other shonen anime. As I was rounding the Konami Digital Entertainment booth at Tokyo Game Show, a standee of Gon and Killua caught my eye and drew me into playing the HUNTER×HUNTER NEN×IMPACT demo. I hadn’t heard of the game before, so I wasn’t expecting to play a classically styled 2D fighter.
I picked my favorite HUNTER×HUNTER characters to build my team: Killua, Kurapika, and Machi, then battled against Gon, Leorio, and Hisoka. While not as animated and flashy as DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO, the game keeps true to the style of classic 2D fighters. While hardcore fighting game fans might not find anything special about the title, fans of the manga and anime will want to jump on this rare chance to play a HUNTER×HUNTER game. Originally slated for this year, the game has recently been delayed to 2025.
That wraps up our Tokyo Game Show coverage! We hope to return for the 2025 event, which will again be held in September.
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© Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
© 2024 Limited Run Games
©P1998-2024 ©V・N・M ©bushiroad Published by ARC SYSTEM WORKS.
©Bird Studio/Shueisha, Toei Animation
©Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.