Review – Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact

It marks a significant moment for fans of Yoshihiro Togashi’s work, as it is the first really ambitious attempt to transport the hunter universe to the world of large -scale fighting games. Developed by Bushiroad Games in collaboration with Eighting and published by the renowned, the game carries high expectations, but delivers an unequal experience that reveals both hits and dubious choices that show limitations.

SHONEN x Creativity x Legacy

Hunter x Hunter is considered one of Japan’s most influential manga and anime, created by Yoshihiro Togashi and originally released in 1998 at Weekly Shonen Jump. The work follows Gon Freecss’s journey and his search to become a Hunter, plunging into universes full of challenges, strategic battles and complex characters. With a narrative marked by psychological depth, mature approaches to ethics and power, as well as unpredictable twists, Togashi has established new standards for the Shonen genre, innovating both in the construction of narrative arcs and the creation of systems, such as Nen himself, which from name to current game and is still a reference in works from various other mangaka and the game industry itself.

As an adaptation for fighting game format, Hunter X Hunter Nen x Impact seeks to build loyalty the intense combat seen in the anime and manga, especially by adopting battles in 3 against 3 teams, in which each character has unique skills inspired directly on their Nen techniques. This system allows you to create teams from different protagonists and villains, favoring creative synergies and recreating a little of the unpredictable feeling of the battles of the series.

In terms of narrative fidelity, the story mode covers the main arches, from the classic Hunter Exam to the long -awaited Chimera Ant, although this transition to the game has been hurriedly and superficially, with the narrative presented in a rapidly, using only static images and few text lines, without rescuing the original voices for the story mode, appearing only in times of combat presentation, causing all this to undermine the development of the characters and the dramatic weight Of the events that, as I commented before, are aspects that are essential to Togashi’s work. As a result, narrative experience serves more as caught or summary, leaving much to be desired for those seeking immersion or deepening in the franchise’s lore.

Mechanics x References x Doubtful Choices

With regard to game modes, Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact brings a lean but functional selection. In addition to condensed Story Mode, there is single mode, with challenges inspired by the iconic Heavens Arena, as well as training mode, arcade and online, which promises ranked and casual combats based on a betting system involving Greed Island arc cards with Gi Cards. For collectors and fans, there are unlockable cosmetics, such as titles and profile icons, maintaining a pattern already expected by fans and without major news. The main attraction is, in fact, the online multiplayer mode, which uses Netcode Rollback for a soft battle experience that, even though it is already expected from Arc System Works, but in the early days it suffered from a lack of players and connection problems.

Speaking of expertise, this publisher is a world reference in the production of 2D fighting games, with franchises such as Guilty Gear, Blazblue and Dragon Ball Fighterz. Because of this, the expectation was that part of this excellence was transposed to Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact, resulting in a fluid gameplay and robust mechanics. The result, however, falls short of this legacy, as the game adopts a simplified control scheme, with the so -called Rush Button allowing the execution of automatic combos, a legacy of the recent Street Fighter 6, seeking to be a resource that democrats access to genre, but ends up limiting depth for advanced players.

The Aura Arts system adds a strategic layer, as it is possible to perform special attacks growing the aura meter, with damage proportional to the accumulation of energy, but this element is not enough to turn combat into a rich nuance experience. Nen’s system, very similar to what with Guilty Gear’s Dust Attack, adds depth to movement and combos, with a dedicated button to connect sequential attacks and defensive posture with Nen Stance, to repeal the opponent with a push effect.

Still on mechanics, we have the overgar that serves as a powerful turn-like tool, similar to the X-Factor of Marvel vs. Capcom and Max Mode in The King of Fighters. When activated, she gives the character a substantial increase in damage and speed, and temporarily expanding her offensive resources, but with a limited use to a match and increasing the strategy to reverse adverse situations.

With all this, the combat flows among the 16 characters available and with different characteristics, favoring the quick exchanges, assistance and showy combos between Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, Histoka and other fan favorites. Villains like Meruem, Chrollo and FeSan complete the catalog, as well as the promises of DLCs with figures such as Neferpitou, but we still have many absences from the classic cast.

Unfortunately the variety of characteristics and design of the characters makes the combat very unbalanced, either by devastating combos such as netero and merude, or by stature, from Gon to Histoka, which can impair combos and even arts. The challenge in balancing the simplicity and fluidity of combat with the necessary depth to maintain interest in the long run, not yet realized with what we have in the base game, has made Bushiroad Games bet on a title that seems incomplete and can become repetitive after a few hours.

Simplicity x visual x soundtrack

Hunter X Hunter Nen x Impact’s art direction and graphics are not even close to the excellent work we know about Arc System Works, let alone living up to Togashi’s work. Visually, the game delivers few static scenario options, non -refined animations and a general presentation that refers to past generations of consoles. Following the same mistakes as developers did not bother to meet fans by developing the arcs of history satisfactorily or replicating the potential offered by the original work.

Still, even with different animations from what we see in the anime, the special blows lack visual impact and the setting, although functional, does not excite as it should for an anime of Hunter X Hunter’s caliber. The same is true of the unnoticed soundtrack and without major highlights, ignoring all the potential that the two adaptations for Anime managed to do, keeping Yu Yu Hakusho’s legacy, not to mention the little use of the original anime voices on specific occasions in the game.

In the end, Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact may even be considered a good debut for the franchise in fighting games, but which sins to try to stay too simple compared to the legacy that the original work has and the legion of fans awaiting this game. Even though this title hits the essence of frantic combat and the creative freedom for you to set up their teams, developers stumbled upon visual execution, scarce content and limitation that the lack of balancing can cause a good gateway to the curious or fans who follow the franchise at least at the beginning. For now the Arc System Works game acts as a hobby for longtime fans or for those looking for an uncomplicated Fighting game, but makes it clear that the franchise still deserves an adaptation to the height of its legacy.