Hunter x Hunter has been a manga phenomenon since 1998, however we’ve by no means had a full-blown combating sport till now. Bushiroad’s Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Influence is a 3-on-3 tag team-based fighter that options 16 beloved characters duking it out. Whereas it’s not going to exchange Dragon Ball FighterZ or Marvel vs. Capcom as one of many 3-on-3 greats, there’s lots right here to love.
What’s most fascinating about Nen x Influence is the way it performs in opposition to lots of combating sport mechanics. No quarter circles or dragon punches are used for particular strikes. As a substitute, the appropriate set off is your arts button, which, relying on the character, unlocks a collection of various strikes that you simply do both by totally different button presses (low, medium, or heavy) or simply pairing it with instructions. Meter-using final assaults known as aura arts are additionally simplified as they’re a easy button mixture.
This simplicity of enter permits for technique to completely take middle stage, and that’s the place the sport shines, particularly with its nen stance mechanic, which is principally used defensively to push again attacking opponents but in addition to ship the combo-chaining nen affect assaults as effectively. There’s an adjustment time right here to get used to it, however gamers who need to get into the motion can benefit from the frenzy mechanic by holding the left set off, which opens up a number of auto combo assaults. It’s a pleasant combine of latest and acquainted mechanics to create one thing contemporary, which I definitely respect.
The largest disappointment of Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Influence is its story mode, which options the primary six arcs of the story. The principle challenge is that it’s actually only a look, with it skipping lots and boiling arcs down to 2 or three fights. There are solely 19 ranges in complete, with 5 of them being both tutorials or only a cutscene. It does function an honest tutorial for the sport, nevertheless it’s fairly underwhelming when you think about how unbelievable the supply materials is.
There’s an honest array of different single-player modes, though the one one I actually loved was the arcade mode. There are two separate survival modes (Heavens Area and Battle Olympia), plus a while assault programs and a combo trial, as effectively. However the challenge turns into that the synthetic intelligence opponents on larger difficulties simply get very low-cost.
You hit a wall solo after some time, however fortunately, there may be on-line play that includes rollback netcode. Whereas taking part in regionally is at all times superb, on-line multiplayer can be a should for combating video games. I didn’t expertise a lot lag, however aside from matches I particularly arrange, there should not a ton of individuals taking part in. So whereas it’s competent, you’ll need to have your individual associates if you wish to get probably the most out of the sport. The sport shines when its gameplay is allowed to take middle stage, so it’s a disgrace that there aren’t many modes which might be enjoyable to play right here.
Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Influence Overview: Closing Verdict
When you recover from the preliminary shortcomings, Hunter x Hunter followers will discover a lot to love about Nen x Influence, which clearly has a reverence for the supply materials. There’s a stunning quantity to its techniques, because the nen stance and totally different arts will preserve gamers on their toes, whereas it’s additionally fairly beginner-friendly due to its rush mechanic. Sadly, the net group isn’t sturdy, however should you’ve acquired some associates who’re additionally HxH followers, then you definitely’ll be in luck.
SCORE: 7/10
As todaysviralmedia’s evaluation coverage explains, a rating of seven equates to “Good.” A profitable piece of leisure that’s price testing, however it could not attraction to everybody.
Disclosure: The writer offered a digital PS5 copy for our Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Influence evaluation. Reviewed on model 1.006.000.