If you love anime games as much as we do right here on BearShare, you’ll be happy to hear that there are a ton of games headed your way that have been inspired by anime and their iconic art style. Featuring all kinds of different genres and gameplay, these upcoming titles announced and shown at this year’s NotE3 showcases are sure to cater to any type of player who loves anime. From a manga adaptation and a kind of Pokémon game with weapons to a series of new Persona titles and a brand-new Final Fantasy, there is a lot to look forward to.
Sand Land
The manga Sand Land is getting its very own video game adaptation. It’s the brainchild of none other than Akira Toriyama himself, the creator of Dragon Ball, who is now working with Bandai Namco to bring his lesser-known manga Sand Land from back in 2000 onto our screens. Shown during this year’s Summer Game Fest, Sand Land is set in a desert world in which humans and monsters coexist. Players take control of a demonic prince named Beelzebub and embark on an action-filled adventure in a vast, sandy environment with both character combat and hectic tank combat. No release date has been revealed as yet, but the Sand Land project will also include an animation to bring Toriyama’s manga to life both on consoles and our TVs.
Palworld
Anyone who loves Pokémon and wants to turn the combat action up a notch can look forward to Palworld. The open-world survival sandbox game developed by Pocketpair will have you hunting for and collecting all types of monsters – whose resemblance to some of the most beloved Pokémon monsters are quite frankly uncanny. Originally shown back in 2021, the game’s release date was just revealed at Summer Game Fest along with a new announcement trailer. You can check on Steam here to get Palworld once it releases into Early Access in January 2024. The main goal in the game is to survive by gathering resources and hunting, farming, or fishing for food – all with the help of your “Pals” that you have captured in the wild. One main difference to the Pokémon franchise is that both you and your Pals will have an arsenal of firearms at your disposal!
Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica
Shown at the Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, Atlus’ Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica will let players jump back into the celebrated anime-style RPG series. The Persona 3 remake is set to be a robust overhaul of the original and will bring the PlayStation 2 title into today’s era to be on par with Persona 5’s visual quality. It’s slated for release in early 2024.
Meanwhile, Persona 5 is getting another spinoff, namely Persona 5 Tactica. Making use of turn- and grid-based gameplay, the new spinoff will turn the RPG into a turn-based tactics game similar to XCOM. The new title is set to release on November 17, 2024. Both titles will be coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Final Fantasy Ever Crisis
It’s the title many fans have long been waiting for and the perfect banger to bring at the end of the Summer Game Fest showcase: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth just got a new trailer and a release window. The sequel to the remake of the celebrated RPG is set to launch in early 2024 and will see many of the beloved characters, such as Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Aerith, and even Yuffie, return as they leave Midgar and set out into the wider world.
The remake sequel wasn’t the only Final Fantasy news shown at Summer Game Fest, as the mobile title Final Fantasy Ever Crisis also got a trailer and details on a closed beta. Players can pre-register now to beta test the game in July, while the release of the full title on iOS and Android is scheduled for fall this year.
How anime inspires all kinds of games
The unique anime style has been a staple in the gaming industry for a long time. Many games from all types of genres have implemented the traditional Japanese style that players can jump into right now. One of the most celebrated anime-style games is Genshin Impact, a unique game series that combines the usual gacha gameplay with a JRPG and stunning visuals. Dragon Quest XI, the latest installment in the long-running series, creates colorful anime-inspired 3D environments in an RPG with charming characters and an endearing story, while Dragon Ball FighterZ lets players play any of their favorite characters and villains from the Dragon Ball Universe and fight it out in the ring. Even many mobile rhythm games have long taken inspiration from the anime art style, with games such as Arcaea and Cytus challenging players to keep the beat while being blown away by stunning anime-style visuals.
The Japanese art style has also made it into the realm of classic casino games. You can visit the website CasinoBonusCA here to find reviews and ratings of the best platforms with large game libraries to play on. Among their vast selection of online slots, anime fans can find games such as Moon Princess, Sakura Fortune, Ninja Ways, and Koi Princess, all of which use the celebrated Japanese art style. Visual novels are another type of game that often uses the traditional anime style. Novels such as The Fruit of Grisaia, Ever17 -The Out of Infinity-, and Doki Doki Literature Club! all combine the unique Japanese art style with a compelling and suspenseful story that may or may not have a lot of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. A look at all types of game genres clearly shows how the anime art style keeps inspiring game developers.
This year’s NotE3 events had a lot of treats for anime game lovers, with a bevy of anime-style games announced and shown at Summer Game Fest and the Xbox Games Showcase. From the manga adaptation Sand Land and the Pokémon-type game Palworld to new Persona and Final Fantasy installments, with this list of upcoming titles, anime-style game lovers have a lot to look forward to.