2023 has been an amazing year for Anime but not so much for video games. But what about Anime Games? Some notable titles have been released, a lot has been announced and some are still continuing years later. Here we’ll take a look at all of them and discuss about it.
New Anime Games released in 2023
MY HERO ULTRA RUMBLE
Starting with the best of the best, developed by BYKING MY HERO ULTRA RUMBLE was released in September of this year by Bandai Namco Entertainment and garnered mostly positive reviews. It took the battle royal genre and perfectly implemented it in an anime style. While this isn’t entirely new, as games like Shinobi Strikers and a couple of others have attempted something similar, ULTRA RUMBLE has managed to do it better.
You land in a closed-off area that shrinks over time. 8 teams drop in, with 3 members per team, making it 24 players per session. You have to collect resources, upgrade skills, armor, and backpack alongside your teammates, and then square off with others. It can be a bit chaotic, but upon watching some exceptionally skilled players, it feels truly awesome. There are metas, mechanics, and some secrets to this game that can put you ahead of everyone if you can master them.
And best of part of it that it’s free. You can get it on Steam, PlayStation 4 & 5, XBox One, Series S & X, and Nintendo Switch. If you haven’t played MY HERO ULTRA RUMBLE yet, then do so ’cause it’s a must play.
Next, from the Chinese developer miHoYo comes another entry in the Honkai series: Honkai: Star Rail. Released in October, it gained popularity quickly, even attracting some Twitch streamers who don’t usually play anime games.
The gameplay is pretty simple: it’s a JRPG with a 4-member party and a turn-based combat system. You explore different open areas, engage in combats, collect loots, level up characters, etc. Best part of this game are the boss fights due to the design, aesthetics, and amazing looking cutscenes.
Honkai: Star Rail is also free and available on Windows, iOS, Android, PlayStation 5. It’s a bit time consuming like typical JRPGs but might be worth it if you are into this type of games.
One Piece Odyssey
Developed by ILCA, One Piece Odyssey was released early of 2023. The game follows a new story where the Straw Hats find themselves in a mysterious island and soon separated from each other. They wander around the island, meet new characters and the story slowly unfolds. It’s stated that the author of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda is involved in this so expect a decent story.
During gameplay, you can play as the Straw Hat members depending on which part of the story you are in. Since it’s a turn-based combat system, you can have limited active members which you can switch while exploring. The combat is pretty fast & stylish and each characters have something unique to offer. During exploration, you can find collectibles, solve puzzles to proceed, encounter enemies, and embark on side quests. Although, it received some criticism initially due to the lack of difficulty which is somewhat fixed later on and strategize when engaging in combat.
One Piece Odyssey is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S. However, it may not be availed in some regions, which is really a bummer. So, welcome to the high seas of pi—
Hi-Fi Rush
Hi-Fi Rush came out as a surprise since no marketing or advertisement was done. Yet, it gained insane popularity during launch and that’s due to solely its gameplay. The game was released early of 2023 by Bethesda and developed by Tango Gameworks. It’s an action, rhythm, beat ’em up, hack and slash game. You play as Chai and everything around you moves to the beat.
The game seamlessly integrates rhythm and combat mechanics, where players don’t necessarily attack to the beat but benefit from well-timed button presses for increased damage and combo finishers. A parry move allows cancellation of enemy attacks with precise timing. Alongside beat-em-up action, rhythm-based minigames add variety, involving call-and-response cues and rhythmic button sequences. The linear stages, each themed around a musical style, depict divisions of an antagonist corporation, leading to boss battles. Platform elements and an upgrade system with in-game currency enhance gameplay. Permanent collectible upgrades and completion bonuses, like revisiting levels and a survival mode called Rhythm Tower, enrich the gaming experience.
Hi-Fi Rush available only on Windows and Xbox Series X/S, so PlayStation users gonna have to miss out on this one, or do they?
Fate/Samurai Remnant
Taking a twist in the Fate franchise, Fate/Samurai Remnant unfolds in 1651 during the Keian era in Japan, where the Holy Grail War kicks off. Some of the known heroes from the past, such as Saber, Archer, Rider, Lancer, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker, make an appearance in this entry. The main protagonist is Miyamoto Iori, Saber’s master and an actual Japanese historical figure. Interestingly, he bears a striking resemblance to Shiro from the Fate/Stay series.
The gameplay is a hack ‘n’ slash, 3rd-person beat ’em up known as musou, much like the Dynasty Warriors games. However, it falls under the Action RPG genre, with dodging and looking for openings as important elements.[3] It features a wide array of stances that the player character can switch between on the fly. Players can give commands to their servant, launching special attacks and combos. In certain situations, the game allows for full control of Iori’s servant, as his weapons can’t be used against other servants.
Fate/Samurai Remnant was released in September of this year, developed by Omega Force & Kou Shibusawa and published by Koei Tecmo. It’s available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, & Windows (suck it XBox users).
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
I’m not quite familiar with Granblue Fantasy lore but I know it’s damn good fighting game developed by Arc System Works. Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising looks gorgeous, have intricate mechanics, unique & appealing characters, and it’s highly competitive. The game has total 28 characters and 4 DLC characters added in its season pass 1, notably 2B from Nier: Automata. If you are well-known with ArcSys’ games, then you should know the sheer quality they deliver like Dragon Ball FighterZ and Guity Gear.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising was released in December of 2023 by Cygames, which is pretty recent. It’s out on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, & Windows and it’s still new. Grab it and grow with the game.
Black Clover Mobile: The Road to the Wizard King: The Opening of Fate
That’s a long title for a small device; Black Clover Mobile follows the original story. If you’ve watched the anime, you’ll enjoy going through it at your own pace. The gameplay features RPG, strategy, and a turn-based combat system with a plethora of characters to choose from. It’s impressive how the graphics and cutscenes look; they’re truly mind-blowing, I tell you. You can explore the world, gather collectibles, encounter enemies, level up, and unlock characters. Additionally, there are gacha elements and PvP gameplay, making it enjoyable in single-player mode as well.
Black Clover M: Rise Of The Wizard King was released in May in Japan and in November globally by Vic Game Studios. It’s available for free on iOS and Android so play it when you wanna enjoy some laidback gameplay. Just don’t do too many gacha pulls that’ll empty your wallet.
Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections
Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections brings everything back in the Storm series. The gameplay is similar to older games but adds more features and mechanics. New characters are also added with unique moveset as well as a new story. Older stories are also playable but nothing to write home about. Visually the game looks amazing with the cinematic ultimate moves and character animations. The OST is equally breathtaking as well accompanying the graphics. Although, it was a bit disappointing due to its online aspects: bad connection (LOL), poor matchmaking, unrefined ranking system, unable to invite friends etc.
Storm Connections came out in November, developed by CyberConnect2 (hence the incredible cutscenes) and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It’s a nice throwback to the Storm series that defined storytelling of an anime in video games so play it if you like. I wouldn’t get my hopes up with the gameplay and stuff.
That’s all the new entries this year. Looking back, it’s not that bad. We got games that can invest long time on grinding and exploring more. We got a battle royal, a fighting, a 3D arena, 2 beat ’em up, a dew RPGs, and 2 mobile games. Now let’s take a look at the continuations of anime games in forms of DLCs and expansions.
Ongoing Anime Games in 2023
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Expansions
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was initially released in 2022, developed by CyberConnect2. It provided a well-crafted RPG experience in the Dragon Ball universe. It’s always great to see this game expanding on content and offering more gameplay. The first DLC, Bardock: Alone Against Fate, was released on January 13, 2023, covering the events of Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku, along with a side story focusing on an infant Vegeta. The second, The 23rd World Tournament, introduces a new “Ground Battle” mode covering the Piccolo Jr. saga of the original Dragon Ball anime. The announcement for the final DLC of this season pass is yet to be made. Best part of it is that it’s not just DLC with small contents, these are massive expansions with a whole world to explore, taking on side quests and leveling up. It’s truly been a bliss having such in a beloved franchise.
DRAGON BALL: THE BREAKERS – DLC Season Pass 2, 3 & 4
DRAGON BALL: THE BREAKERS is only a year old and, for the most part, considered dead. However, players still come back to it since the gameplay can be fun sometimes. The DLCs that have come out added some exciting stuff like new gameplay mechanics, characters, power-ups, maps, cosmetics, etc.
This year, Season Pass 2, 3, and 4 were released featuring characters such as: Vegeta (Saiyan Invasion), The Ginyu Force, and Broly (Super) as the raiders. For breakers, Chi-Chi, King Furry, Yajirobe, King Kai, Fortuneteller, Dende, Cheelai, Lemo, Hercule, and Bulma. Each of them offers a unique playstyle and skills. There are also transpheres; upon collecting them, you can summon the power of Z-Warriors to fight head-to-head with the raider. The power-ups include: Super Saiyan Goku, Vegeta, Teen Gohan, Bardock, Goten, and Super Saiyan God & Blue Goku & Vegeta. There’s also one new map and vehicle updates.
If you don’t know about this game, it’s basically an asymmetrical survival horror game, like Dead by Daylight, Friday the 13th, but set in the Dragon Ball world. You can play as the raider whose role is to hunt down civilians, players, level up and destroy the world the game is taking place. On the other side, you can play as the breakers whose role is to survive, level up, save civilians, prepare the ultimate time machine to save the timeline from the raider. There’s one raider and 7 breakers per game. You can use different skills, perks, power-ups etc. and make your moves strategically to win.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R – DLC Season Pass 1 & 2
One of the renowned anime fighting games, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle made a comeback as a remake. While it improved on its base game, it’s still problematic due to poor online connection. Nonetheless, this game is still kicking as DLCs were being released this year. 7 DLC characters became playable with 2 season passes and they are: Risotto, Stroheim, Keicho Nijimura, Parallel World Diego, Abbacchio, Yuya Fungami, and Wonder of U. The DLCs also offer alternate character outfits.
Fortnite x Anime Collaboration
Here’s a game that refuses to die. Fornite just expanded its aesthetics and gameplay aspects with Anime collaborations. They added Dragon Ball, Naruto, and My Hero Academia characters, skins, skills, etc. to the game last year and have added some more this year too. This year, it’s Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan. One Piece is announced to come out in 2024 and I can’t wait.
It’s not just skins and cosmetics; the gameplay itself has changed with the use of character skills like Kamehameha, Rasengan, One for All, etc., along with vehicles like Nimbus and ODM Gear. The newly added maps have anime themes around them. Fortnite went all out in this, and that made the game much more fun to play.
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker – DLC Season Pass 6 & 7
Here’s another game that’s been running strong for 5 years. The game has improved a lot in every aspects but expect some broken meta because it’s an anime game. A lot has been added to Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker just in 2023. I can’t get into all the details here (click here if you really need to know) but here are some notable DLCs such as new characters: Minato (reanimated), Obito (Ten Tails), Kaguya Otsutsuki, and Boruto (Karma), new theme, character skills & ultimates, and a new map: Hidden Rain Village with new traversal mechanics.
ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 – DLC Pack 4
Pirate Warriors games are generally forgotten but they are addicting when you are at it (live proof). Although the latest entry ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 makes a comeback with the new pack of DLC featuring the Battle of Onigashima Pack. This includes new characters: Kaidou, Yamato, and Gear 5th Luffy new maps, and some new features. It’s makes it worthwhile to comeback for once and enjoy some good ol’ beat ’em up action.
That’s all for now, everything about anime games in 2023. Hope this was informative and pleasant to read through. Next time, there’ll be everything about anticipated anime games & news for the future, video games in general and anime of the year 2023. So be sure to stay tuned, join our Discord server & Telegram chat to stay updated and check this out if you are interested in anime.
Thank you for reading ♡ and I’ll catch you on the next one ☺.