10 Anime Based On Video Games You Need To See
Anime is no slacker when it comes to creating great video game adaptations!
Gamers face a lot of hardships when it comes to their favourite hobby. There's the relentless stream of derivative IP's, the fact that gaming is often used for scaremongering, the disappointment of micro-transactions and plenty more problems that plague the medium. But, one of the most frustrating has to be that of the adaptation.
Players have seen tonnes of their favourite franchises adapted to screens both big and small, and they come out looking worse for wear almost every time. This has led plenty of viewers to loathe the idea of video game adaptations, as they just don't work. Still, there is a saving grace here, and it comes in the form of anime.
The anime medium is the perfect place for video games, as they both capture a sense of bombastic visuals, high-concept fun, and energy. It's an art form that (like gaming) has a reputation of being immature or niche, so they are like two peas in a pod.
There have been many amazing video game anime adaptations, and the following ten are some of the best.
A few honourable mentions include Valkryia Chronicles, Danganronpa, Persona and Pokemon (which isn't included because you're probably all too aware of it already).
10. Ace Attorney
Ace Attorney is a gaming series that heavily leans into anime tropes from the get-go, so it's not much of a surprise to see it on this list. It is a franchise that makes typical courtroom drama look like an explosion of energy and passion and (rather unsurprisingly) that translates very well to screen.
The 2016 Ace Attorney anime is a direct adaptation of the games, with the first season taking on the first two titles and the second adapting the third. It tells the story of Phoenix Wright (Ryuuichi Naruhodo in the original Japanese), a rookie lawyer who battles to save his defendants and gets embroiled in various strange cases.
This adaptation made the great decision to bring in the game's original creator Shu Takumi as a script supervisor, helping to pour the eccentric spirit of the source material into the series and keep it feeling genuine.
It's certainly a show with flaws, but its faithfulness to the games, paired with the fun characters, makes it something you do not want to miss, especially if you love the original Phoenix Wright series.