Thanks to modern technology, anime games can easily look like the anime series they are based on. It was hard to convey that with pixelated sprites during the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, but each new 3D generation has helped immensely in bringing anime to life, as does a shift towards developers relying on cel-shaded visuals.
It’s almost expected for fans to see an anime game now and not know whether they are looking at a game or anime footage, with cel-shaded games being the best examples of the same. Beyond official anime games, the anime style is becoming more popular, and is now seen in RPGs like Tales of Arise and Genshin Impact. Of all these examples, which official anime games look the most graphically stunning?
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Gokus As Far As The Eye Can See
Dragon Ball FighterZ may not be in 3D, but it has some of the best 2D visuals around. Being in 2D helps it look more like the anime, and is another reason whyDragon Ball Z fans love it as a game.
It’s a three-on-three fighter featuring too many characters to name, including a handful of Goku variants and virtually every other major fighter in the series, both heroes and villains. Punch, kick, blast, and fly past familiar characters and arcs in this stylized fighting game.
One Piece Odyssey
A Standalone RPG Adventure
One Piece Odyssey doesn’t have cel-shaded graphics like many modern anime games, but the 3D models still look fantastic. It’s a more laid-back game with plenty of action, albeit in turn-based form, which makes it easy for fans of the anime to hop in.
As an RPG, it’s a pretty solid example where players can take control of the entire Strawhat Pirates crew almost immediately and lead them on a grand adventure. It is filler and may not hold up next to the official One Piece anime arcs, but it’s certainly a great-looking game that adheres to the trademark oddness of the series.
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy
More Ninjas Than You Can Shake A Shuriken At
CyberConnect2 is one of the best anime game developers around, having touched many franchises, including Naruto. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy is a 2017 remaster of the series' first three games, which were released between 2008 and 2012 in North America.
The games still look amazing on their original hardware as 3D action/fighting games, but the remaster has crisper visuals to make all of those ninjutsu moves pop. The original was one of the first fighting games that blew the minds of anime fans and non-fans alike, and any number of CyberConnect2 games could easily be nominated as knockout anime games from a visual perspective.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
