Anima: Gate Of Memories – The Nameless Chronicles Demo Impressions on PC

     Combo based fighting games fill a niche in the fighting game genre. Executing a fast past and stylish furious series of blows is a staple for games like Bayonetta and Neir: Automata. The feeling of elegance while simultaneously carving through hordes of enemies is a must have for these types of games. It’s a feeling Anima: Gate of Memories – The Nameless Chronicles largely lacks.

The demo for The Nameless Chronicles follows the eponymous character “Nameless” in a short battle against the Inquisitors sent to steal his blood. Nameless, an immortal, has the power to unleash a mighty demon that the Inquisition seeks to control; in a plan that doesn’t sound like it would go horribly wrong the second it’s attempted. The world, while drab and dark, does showcase interesting ideas and designs. The bleak landscape plays host to giant floating orbs, columns and mountainous vistas. Most characters feel unique and even inspired, though often showcase tired anime tropes. Designs like the edgy loner or the busty sorceress whose cleavage is cut dangerously low all hearken back to the inspiration for the game, a tabletop RPG of the same name. For fans of the universe, The Nameless Chronicles delivers on elements, both good and bad, one might expect for a small studio.

The first thing you might notice about the dialogue is the expounded nature of it. Characters seem to realize you know nothing of what’s happening and thus do their best to fill you in. Unfortunately, the voice acting is also very hit or miss. Nameless in particular, suffers from overacting and melodrama. Still, this might be intentional as he’s also hilariously edgy. Not only does he wear a face high trench coat and carry a scythe but he always, even in combat, holds one arm behind his back, butler style. Unfortunately, battles which are sadly quite mediocre.

However, what cannot be condoned are the maddingly bad textures. Stone walls and the ground look like they wouldn’t be out of place in a mid-2000’s era game. Cutscenes lack any real feel of kineticism, suggesting manikins that hop around staring at one another. Thankfully the game adopts a surprisingly pretty cell shaded art style for its characters that helps soften the otherwise poorly rendered landscape. Graphics are of course secondary to gameplay, especially for smaller developers; Though sadly for The Nameless Chronicles both are subpar.

Anima: Gate of Memories – The Nameless Chronicles is a game that shows some promise. Indeed, as a sequel it has a following of players who enjoy the universe and gameplay. Yet, with so many strong Hack-N-Slash games on the market it’s very difficult to recommend this middle of the road game. Combat isn’t impressive, voice acting is often just bad, and the graphical design, while creative, looks like a game from several generations back. If you’re on the lookout for a great action game with RPG elements look to Nier: Automata, Bayonetta or the Devil May Cry series instead.

Anima: Gate of Memories – The Nameless Chronicles will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam starting June 19th.