The next Demon Slayer game has the potential to reinvent its multiplayer with a feature that’s largely new to anime games. Multiplayer is a key component in anime games including Demon Slayer -- The Hinokami Chronicles. If the series’ next game implements a unique spin on multiplayer, it could stand out substantially from other games in the anime genre.
Anime games tend to rely on the same tried and true gameplay format of 3D fighting games. It’s the multiplayer 1v1 fighting game modes that usually keep anime fans playing these games for years – if the game lasts that long. Oftentimes story modes in anime games can seem like an afterthought, offhandedly retelling a season from the show in an uninteresting way. Demon Slayer, however, could easily bring a new and fresh idea to the genre.
Demon Slayer Could Add a Co-Op Mode
There aren’t many anime games that venture into co-op territory. Typically, games in this genre stick to PvP multiplayer. With the nature of Demon Slayer, it would make a lot of sense to explore a co-op mode, as the show revolves around Tanjiro and his fellow demon slayers eradicating demons together. In the anime, demon slayers are sent out on missions to kill demons that are essentially haunting a specific area. Alongside the story mode and multiplayer modes seen in Hinokami Chronicles, the next Demon Slayer game could dive deeper into this aspect of being a demon slayer.
There could be a mode in which players accept missions that send them out to a location to kill a demon that’s harming that area. This could be an optional co-op game mode where players have to investigate the area, looking for clues that help them find the demon, possibly similar to the contracts in the Hitman franchise, eventually killing it in a big boss fight. A co-op mode like this would add a ton more replayability to the game, as players would have a reason to jump back on with friends to do something other than just fight each other.
In this co-op mode, players might choose to play as their favorite Demon Slayer characters or even create their own demon slayer with their own unique abilities. Games with character creators allow players to even further immerse themselves in that game’s world. With the amount of popularity that Demon Slayer’s anime and manga have gained in the last few years, a game where fans can put themselves into its world would be a treat.
Demon Slayer Could Tap Open Worlds to Enhance Multiplayer
In addition to a mission-based co-op mode, the next Demon Slayer game could include an open world. Open world games provide an extensive amount of things to do in a game’s world, in turn, keeping people playing for longer than most linear story games. A big open world would also be an exciting hub for co-op multiplayer that fans can explore together like in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
As players progress through the story of this Demon Slayer game, they could discover places overrun by demons, prompting players to choose whether they want work with friends to kill those demons and restore peace to those areas, or if they want to continue with the story and come back later. Maybe the game could take a page out of Genshin Impact’s book in terms of elemental strengths and weaknesses, having demons that are more susceptible to certain types of demon slaying abilities like Rengoku’s fire-breathing style or Tanjiro’s water-breathing style. This would be a great benefit for Demon Slayer co-op too, since players with different characters and skills could help each other tackle threats that one player isn't equipped for.