Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is the sequel to the first game of the same name from 2021, picking right back up from the events there and continuing to follow the plot of the anime. There will be a solo mode following the story, as well as a VS mode with over 40 characters to choose from, with the ability to battle CPU as well as other players online. I recently had the opportunity to check out a small portion of The Hinokami Chronicles 2 for myself.
My experience with the game was extremely limited, and I only got to play through two fights, with the rest of my time mostly cutscenes. The fights that I got to experience were fine, but it was a bridge between story beats and cutscenes. You would fight a boss, and then get a cutscene. Fight, cutscene. Win the fight, cutscene. It also felt a bit boring as there was only really one attack option plus a dodge, and I just found myself waiting for the enemy to let up their guard to be able to attack, backing off and waiting again.
I know quite a few people felt the first game was more cutscenes than anything else, and I think when a game is certainly marketed more towards pre-existing fans of the series, it can be hard to balance a fresh and enjoyable experience with a story that’s already been told. That being said, I think The Hinokami Chronicles 2 will still be enjoyable, especially for anyone who wants to relive the story, or for someone who perhaps hasn’t seen the anime and chooses to experience the story through the games.
The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is supposedly going to cover seasons two, three and four of the anime, while the first game only covered the first season, so it will be interesting to see how long it ends up being or if a bunch of stuff is cut short to fit the length of the game.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 releases on the 6th of August 2025 for PC, PS4/5, Xbox Series X|S and the Nintendo Switch, but you can play up to 5 days early with the deluxe edition. There are also bonuses to obtain if you link save data from the first game, as well as the spinoff party game, Sweep The Board!
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Checkpoint Gaming flew to Sydney as a guest of Five Star Games Oz for this preview.
About the Author
Hayley Louise
she/they
Hayley spends most of her time gaming, but when she's not doing that you can find her doing all kinds of nerd-adjacent things like playing board games, building Lego, reading books and talking nerdy to everyone who will listen.
