As an anime fan sometimes you want to play a game that is just truly anime. Luckily there’s a whole bunch of games on the market that would make any weeb extremely happy but I aim to do things a bit differently. It would be really easy to write this list if I would only cover games based on existing anime or just list a number of famous JRPGs, which is exactly what we’re not doing. Instead, we’ll be covering a variety of genre with some games you might have never even heard of. Here are 5 of the best games to play as an anime fan.
Forgotton Anne
No that is not misspelled that is the actual name. Forgotton Anne is an absolutely brilliant game that takes you on a linear journey through a gorgeously animated and hand-drawn world. Everything that you see and explore is thought through so that nothing in the world feels out of place or doesn’t make sense. Forgotton Anne seems to draw a lot of inspiration from the whimsical elements of Ghibli movies and I highly recommend everyone trying it out, even if you’re not big on anime. It’s hard to say more about this game as it is one you just need to play rather than read about.
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Yes, this is one of those visual novels and damn if it’s not a good one. All 3 Danganronpa games play out relatively similar. You investigate clues to a murder, talk with your classmates, and prepare for trial. During the trial, you take part in a swindling debate in which you are tasked with finding out which classmates tell the truth and which ones are spewing out nonsense. The Danganronpa games will have you on the edge of your seat for the entirety of the game and well not very intense gameplay-wise, your intelligence is definitely put to the test. Although the third game in the series is arguably the best one it’s best to work your way through the games in chronological order.
Skull Girls
If you love fighting games but are tired of the muscular men of Dragon Ball FighterZ than this is the game for you. In Skull Girls you will be beating each other up with cute but extremely deadly girls that possess a wide variety of unique skillsets. The game is a tag-team style fighting game making each fight even more intense and varied than in normal style fighting games. The controls are also very tight and extremely snappy so skill will be the only thing that’s holding you back from succeeding in this game. And if you’re still not convinced, look at the sprite work, it’s so unbelievable well-drawn that it just warrants a purchase.
Valkyria Chronicles
Although Valkyria Chronicles is probably the most well-known game on this list, it’s still severely underappreciated. The game combines anime, World War 2, graphic novels, and tactical gameplay to create one extremely unique but weird mix. There’s probably nothing that plays quite like Valkyria Chronicles and although it sounds like a game that shouldn’t work, it really does. The game tests both your tactical thinking as well as your reflexes and does so while taking you through gorgeous landscapes and a story with some unexpectedly heartfelt moments. If you’re a fan of tactical games then this is definitely a game for you.
Corpse Party
Corpse Party was a one-person-project made with RPG Maker and first released in 1996. Yes, this game is that old and yes, it still holds up. After a bonding ritual gone wrong, a group of friends finds themselves trapped in an otherworldly elementary school with their lives threatened by the ghosts of children. This game has spawned countless sequels and spinoffs and there have even been anime created based on this game, however, we recommend playing the original as it is by far the best one. Although it was remastered in 2008, so not technically the original original, they only added some more characters and made the game feel better to play.
