10 Games That Feel Like You're Playing An Anime Series

Video games have always been satisfying ways for the player to relax or challenge themselves, but the growing advancements in technology allow games to tackle more complex territory. Visual aesthetics is one area where video games have achieved unbelievable growth, whether it comes to photo-realistic characters or games that are deeply stylized, not unlike an anime series.

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There’s a healthy relationship between video games and anime, and it’s common for one medium to adapt the other as a way to bring the story to a larger audience. However, there are also some games out there that truly make the audience feel like they’re playing an episode of an anime.

Okami is such an elegant piece of art that easily feels like it could be a Studio Ghibli endeavor, both in terms of its look and subject matter. The game presents a remix of various Japanese mythology and folklore to present a creative spin on the Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu, and how she saves the land from darkness. Okami's subject matter and its wolf protagonist are totally in line with anime, and it’s thrilling to leap around as this graceful beast. However, Okami’s watercolor-esque aesthetic and emphasis on brushstrokes draw even more similarities to anime.

9 Katamari Damacy Feels Like An Unleashed Gag Anime That The Player Controls

There are so many fantastic video games with concepts or gameplay that might be considered too outside of the box and are never given proper localizations outside of Japan as a result. It’s a blessing that the outrageously weird Katamari Damacy has managed to become a universal hit, especially since it kind of feels like the odd subplot to a surreal anime series. The look of Katamaridefinitely brings anime to mind, but so do its exaggerated characters and the game’s primary objective to roll up as much of the world as possible.

8 Genshin Impact Embraces Isekai Tropes To Create The Ultimate Adventure

Genshin Impact only came out in 2020, but it's already one of the biggest free-to-play gacha titles out there. Genshin Impact continues to refine its mechanics and scope, but it's been very popular with the anime crowd since the game is basically an open-world riff on the isekai genre.

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The main character travels through countless worlds to locate their missing sibling, and it's honestly surprising that Genshin Impact doesn't already have a companion anime. The success of the game likely means that it's only a matter of time.

7 Jet Set Radio Lives In Extremes And Doesn’t Censor Itself

Jet Set Radio made waves when it first debuted on Sega’s Dreamcast, and it’s still an artistic achievement in gaming that’s been difficult to replicate. Jet Set Radio’s pristine cel-shaded look and the fantastic and varied soundtrack that accompanies the game’s worlds received understandable acclaim. However, the game’s storyline that presents rollerblading graffiti artists as social justice superheroes against an exaggerated police force is exactly the sort of over-the-top premise that’s on display in anime. It’s a unique game that genuinely blurs the lines between these two mediums.

6 Bayonetta Is The Dark Magical Girl Action Heroine That Anime Needs

The first two entries in the Bayonetta series represent the apex of the hack-and-slash action genre. Bayonetta blends together so many disparate elements and it all grows so ridiculous that it should crumble under its own weight, but it somehow all works. Bayonetta is a powerful witch who uses her natural skills, wide array of firearms, and deadly hair to combat intimidating demons. Bayonetta and its sequel craft satisfying action spectacles that are as fun to play as they are to watch play out. She even has her own magical girl transformation sequence.

5 Breath Of The Wild Turns The Legend Of Zelda Into An Addictive Adventure Anime

The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises, and it’s established as prolific of a legacy as Super Mario across its lengthy run. Each new Zelda game showcases new mechanics and radical reinventions, but the Nintendo Switch’s Breath of the Wildfeatures one of the most sprawling changes to the franchise to date as the first open-world Zelda experience.

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The world in Breath of the Wild is absolutely massive, and the player has an unprecedented level of freedom with how they approach this adventure. This world and Link’s abilities feel very akin to a shonen anime that’s set in a fantasy world.

4 Dragon Quest XI Is Structured Like An Anime As It Tells Its Grandiose Saga

The Dragon Quest JRPG has increasingly found a unique voice for itself. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is one of the longest games in the series, and it feels just like a shonen anime series that lasts for hundreds of episodes. The humble story of rebirth and redemption is full of anime stereotypes and even contains a comparable story structure. Dragon Quest XI feels akin to an anime because shonen auteur, Akira Toriyama, is responsible for the game’s character designs. However, Dragon Quest XI even works a Tournament Arc into its storyline, and it doesn’t get much more anime than that.

Hideo Kojima is one of the most fascinating minds that's currently working in the video game industry. All of his projects are uniquely representative of his specific interests, which happen to include an abundance of anime. Metal Gear Solid reaches some fairly extreme heights over the course of its narrative, but the Raiden-focused spin-off, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, honestly feels like a playable kinetic action anime. Raiden's weapons of choice aren't far removed from the ludicrous weapons that anime heroes wield, and the game's story that involves the safety of the Prime Minister also comes across as an anime's slant on a political thriller.

2 Persona 5 Mixes School With The Supernatural For Its Anime-Appropriate Setting

Atlus' Persona series feels highly reminiscent of an anime series, and there have been several successful anime adaptations that speak to how well the series translates over to the medium. Persona's supernatural battles and everyday protagonists all mesh to anime standards, but it's Persona 5 that feels like it has the most overlap with the staples of the medium. The game's school setting is a common environment for conflict in anime series and the whole Joker persona feels like someone who could stand alongside Tuxedo Mask.

1 Dragon Ball FighterZ Makes The Player Feel Like They’re The Beloved Shonen Heroes

There are dozens of Dragon Ball video games that exist, and they’ve become a crucial pillar of the franchise that’s even introduced its own original characters. The most recent Dragon Ball video games have been some of the most satisfying entries in the medium. Dragon Ball FighterZ remains a standout and sets the new standard for Dragon Ball fighting games to come. It doesn’t just respect the series’ lengthy history in fulfilling ways, but the gameplay is smooth and intuitive, while the cel-shaded art style makes Dragon Ball FighterZ the closest a Dragon Ball game has ever visually resembled the anime.

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